selection
- 01 B1 Intermediate
the act or process of picking someone or something from a group.
the process or act of choosing from a range of possibilities. Often used uncountably to describe the procedure itself.
Simple“The selection of the final team took the coach several hours.”
In context“The selection of a new CEO is a rigorous process that involves multiple rounds of interviews and psychological assessments.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
a variety of different things that you can choose from.
a collection or variety of items from which a choice may be made.
Simple“The shop has a wide selection of fresh bread and cakes.”
In context“The boutique offers a curated selection of vintage clothing, catering to a niche market of fashion historians and collectors.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
the specific person or thing that has been picked.
the specific individual or group of individuals that has been selected from a larger population.
Simple“Her selection for the national choir was a dream come true.”
In context“The committee's final selection surprised many, as they opted for a relatively unknown candidate over the industry veteran.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
the process where living things that are better suited to their environment survive and have babies.
the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. Often used as a shorthand for 'natural selection'.
Simple“In biology class, we learned how selection helps animals change over time.”
In context“Darwinian selection remains the cornerstone of modern evolutionary biology, explaining the gradual diversification of species through environmental pressures.”
Synonyms - 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
a part of a document or a list of data that you have highlighted to work on.
a highlighted or specified set of data or text upon which a user operation is performed.
Simple“You can copy your selection by pressing the right mouse button.”
In context“The software allows for the precise selection of pixels based on colour frequency, facilitating complex image manipulation.”
Usage careful selection · natural selection · random selection
“Burgas and Sofia progressed to the final stage of the selection process following the initial bids, which also included Varna and Plovdiv.”
“A selection of the tube series photos is planned for display at the London Transport Museum in spring 2027.”
Learned borrowing from Latin sēlēctiō (“the act of choosing out, selection”), from sēligō (“choose out, select”), from sē- (“apart”) + legō (“gather, select”). Equivalent to select + -ion.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.