English Reference
noun

selector

n.
UK /sɪlˈɛktɐ/ se·lec·tor UK spelling selector's, selector's

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    a person or device that picks one thing from a group.

    an agent, whether human or mechanical, that performs the act of selection.

    Simple

    The machine has a speed selector that lets you choose how fast it runs.

    In context

    The automatic gear selector failed to engage, leaving the vehicle stranded in neutral during the peak of the morning rush hour.

    chooserpicker
  2. 02 C1 Advanced British English Sport

    a person who decides which players will be on a sports team.

    an official responsible for choosing the individual players who will represent a team or national side in a match.

    Simple

    The national team selector watched the game to find new talent.

    In context

    After the unexpected defeat, the national selectors faced intense public scrutiny regarding their choice of a young, inexperienced bowling attack.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a part of a computer code that tells the computer which part of a page to style.

    a pattern of characters in a stylesheet, such as CSS, used to identify the HTML elements to which a set of style rules applies.

    Simple

    You need to use the right CSS selector to change the color of the buttons.

    In context

    The developer used a complex descendant selector to ensure the styling only affected list items within the navigation menu.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced Informal Music

    a person who chooses and plays music, especially in reggae or dancehall culture.

    a disc jockey who selects and plays records, particularly within the context of Jamaican sound system culture.

    Simple

    The selector played a great mix of old and new reggae tracks.

    In context

    The crowd cheered as the selector dropped a rare dubplate that hadn't been heard in the city for years.

    DJdeejay
  5. 05 C2 Proficiency ArchaicDialect Law

    a person in Australian history who chose a piece of government land to buy.

    a person who, under various Australian Land Acts, was entitled to select a tract of Crown land for purchase and settlement.

    Simple

    The selector built a small house on the land he bought from the government.

    In context

    Tensions frequently arose between the wealthy squatters and the new selectors who arrived to claim smaller parcels of the fertile valley.

    settlerhomesteader

On the festival’s second stage, you can catch everything from UK underground rap selector DJ EJ, warbly US rockers Geese, and raw, live-drummed jungle from 4am Kru.

The Guardian· 31 Aug 2026

Which batter is building a case to test the selectors?

BBC News· 30 Aug 2026

From select + -or.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated