Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

option

 - definition
 
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
noun [countable] British English pronunciation: option /ˈɒpʃ(ə)n/ 
Word Forms
Close
singularoption
pluraloptions
Other entries for this word

Related dictionary definitions

  1. 1
    something that you can choose in a particular situation

    We've discussed all the marketing options and decided to go for television advertising.

    option for:

    We have three different options for financing the house.

    the option of doing something:

    You have the option of walking there or going by bus.

    have no option but to do something:

    She had no option but to admit the truth.

    a viable option (=one that is likely to succeed):

    Terrorist leaders concluded that armed resistance was no longer a viable option.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of option
    1. a.
      an extra feature on a new product such as a car that you can choose to add when you buy it
      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of option
    2. b.
      one of a range of things that you can choose to do when you are using a computer program

      Choose the 'save' option from the File menu.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of option
    3. c.
      British any course that a student can choose to take, in addition to the courses that they must take
      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of option
  2. 2
    business the right to buy or sell something in the future, for example property or stock in a company

    stock options

    option on:

    The airline has ordered 16 aircraft and has options on another 29.

    the option to do something:

    If one partner dies, the others have the option to buy back their shares.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of option

phrases

This is the British English definition of option. View American English definition of option.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

 

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

proton

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog