# selector

/sɪlˈɛktɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/selector
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. someone who chooses

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The machine has a speed selector that lets you choose how fast it runs.
- The automatic gear selector failed to engage, leaving the vehicle stranded in neutral during the peak of the morning rush hour.

### 2. sports official

noun · CEFR C1 · British English

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

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

- The national team selector watched the game to find new talent.
- After the unexpected defeat, the national selectors faced intense public scrutiny regarding their choice of a young, inexperienced bowling attack.

### 3. web design code

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

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

- You need to use the right CSS selector to change the color of the buttons.
- The developer used a complex descendant selector to ensure the styling only affected list items within the navigation menu.

### 4. a disc jockey

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

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

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

- The selector played a great mix of old and new reggae tracks.
- The crowd cheered as the selector dropped a rare dubplate that hadn't been heard in the city for years.

### 5. historical land buyer

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Dialect

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

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

- The selector built a small house on the land he bought from the government.
- Tensions frequently arose between the wealthy squatters and the new selectors who arrived to claim smaller parcels of the fertile valley.

## Examples

- The CSS selector changes all the headings to blue.
- The national team selector watched several matches this weekend to decide which players to invite to the training camp.
- By using a more specific selector in the stylesheet, the developer ensured that the custom buttons maintained their unique appearance without affecting the rest of the site's interface.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.