1
: chosen from a number or group by fitness or preference
2
3
: judicious or restrictive in choice : discriminating
pleased with the select appreciation of his books—
Osbert Sitwell
Osbert Sitwell
selected; selecting; selects
: to choose (as by fitness or excellence) from a number or group : pick out
: to make a choice
: one that is select
—often used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of select in a Sentence
Adjective
Only a few select employees attended the meeting.
A select committee was formed to plan the project.
The group was small and select.
A select number of people are invited.
Only a select few will be accepted into the program.
He only drinks select wines.
Verb
Please select one item from the list.
The school will only select 12 applicants for enrollment.
Knowing the importance of making the right choice, he selected carefully.
Select “Insert” from the “Edit” menu.
Recent Examples on the WebMike Snider, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
While prices for the women’s tournament have been soaring, there are a couple of ways to get a discount on select seats.
—Rudie Obias, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Threads attracted more than 130 million active users in its first six months, and Meta recently began testing cash bonuses for select creators who post engaging content on the platform, the company confirmed Thursday.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
There are select electronic items that only have a 90-day return policy, including televisions, computers and cell phones.
—Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
That’s because members can earn 1,000 bonus points per night at select properties, or 5,000 points for a stay of at least three nights.
—Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024
Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account - free of charge.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
The program allows premium cabin passengers on select routes to pre-order meals, with a massive selection of dishes that wouldn’t otherwise be available onboard.
—Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2024
His neighbors in the Berkshires are alarmed by a series of stories that have run in local publications, and the town’s select board forces Chambers to close the Berkshire People’s Gym.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The restaurants were selected by members of the Courier Journal newsroom and by readers who responded to a Courier Journal post on social media based on various criteria, including taste, crunch, flavor and more.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
Calipari has had 58 players selected in the NBA Draft during his 31-year college coaching career with 47 being selected in his first 14 seasons at Kentucky.
—Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 8 Apr. 2024
He was selected to seven Pro Bowls, was named first-team All-Pro six times and won one Super Bowl title throughout his accomplished 13-season football career.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
The remaining products on this list were selected through extensive product research.
—Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Apr. 2024
From those results, predictive AI algorithms selected the most promising molecules to advance to the clinical trial stage.
—David Zuluaga Martínez, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
The Masterton Trophy winner is selected from a poll of the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season and a $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the winner.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
All products are independently selected by our editors.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Mar. 2024
Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024
These statement-making selects either have a striking metallic hue or sparkly finish to add a little flair to pretty much any outfit.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024
The team member loaded our selects into an iPad before leaving the room.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024
Albeit a game for the economic select who can shell out for $1,800 Lay’s potato-chip clutches, $4,800 padded bathrobes, $1,780 trash-bag purses made of calfskin, or 95-cent Ikea bags transformed into $2,000 totes.
—Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2024
Elsewhere, in the collection, there were selects that were comprised of excellent corsets with intricate ribbon additions.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 9 Sep. 2023
Chicken Selects In 2004, McDonald’s released their chicken selects.
—Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 30 July 2023
The range also features office-ready suiting selects—there’s also an exquisite gown with knit detailing.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Sep. 2023
Some of our top selects include the sleeveless turtleneck, the signature tee, and the pure wide leg denim.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2023
Adjective
The Shelton, Connecticut firm services the alcoholic beverage industry and uses NIQ data tracking retail sales at supermarkets, convenience and select liquor stores.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
While prices for the women’s tournament have been soaring, there are a couple of ways to get a discount on select seats.
—Rudie Obias, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Threads attracted more than 130 million active users in its first six months, and Meta recently began testing cash bonuses for select creators who post engaging content on the platform, the company confirmed Thursday.
—Will Oremus, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
There are select electronic items that only have a 90-day return policy, including televisions, computers and cell phones.
—Kimberly Cataudella Tutuska, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2024
That’s because members can earn 1,000 bonus points per night at select properties, or 5,000 points for a stay of at least three nights.
—Ramsey Qubein, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Apr. 2024
Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account - free of charge.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
The program allows premium cabin passengers on select routes to pre-order meals, with a massive selection of dishes that wouldn’t otherwise be available onboard.
—Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 25 Mar. 2024
His neighbors in the Berkshires are alarmed by a series of stories that have run in local publications, and the town’s select board forces Chambers to close the Berkshire People’s Gym.
—David Peisner, Rolling Stone, 24 Mar. 2024
Verb
It’s been nearly a decade since the Rams selected a player in the first round of the NFL draft.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The restaurants were selected by members of the Courier Journal newsroom and by readers who responded to a Courier Journal post on social media based on various criteria, including taste, crunch, flavor and more.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 8 Apr. 2024
Calipari has had 58 players selected in the NBA Draft during his 31-year college coaching career with 47 being selected in his first 14 seasons at Kentucky.
—Richard Davenport, arkansasonline.com, 8 Apr. 2024
He was selected to seven Pro Bowls, was named first-team All-Pro six times and won one Super Bowl title throughout his accomplished 13-season football career.
—Charlotte Phillipp, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024
The remaining products on this list were selected through extensive product research.
—Paige Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Apr. 2024
From those results, predictive AI algorithms selected the most promising molecules to advance to the clinical trial stage.
—David Zuluaga Martínez, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
The Masterton Trophy winner is selected from a poll of the 32 chapters of the PHWA at the end of the regular season and a $2,500 grant from the PHWA is awarded annually to the Bill Masterton Scholarship Fund, based in Bloomington, Minn., in the name of the winner.
—Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024
All products are independently selected by our editors.
—Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
For a shade that casts a peachy glow by day and offers a warm-fuzzy neutral at night, try this shade, tastemaker Melissa Smrekar's select for the living room of her 1930s Dallas cottage.
—Grace Haynes, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 2024
These statement-making selects either have a striking metallic hue or sparkly finish to add a little flair to pretty much any outfit.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024
The team member loaded our selects into an iPad before leaving the room.
—Kiana Murden, Vogue, 28 Feb. 2024
Albeit a game for the economic select who can shell out for $1,800 Lay’s potato-chip clutches, $4,800 padded bathrobes, $1,780 trash-bag purses made of calfskin, or 95-cent Ikea bags transformed into $2,000 totes.
—Nathan Taylor Pemberton, Rolling Stone, 20 Jan. 2024
Elsewhere, in the collection, there were selects that were comprised of excellent corsets with intricate ribbon additions.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 9 Sep. 2023
Chicken Selects In 2004, McDonald’s released their chicken selects.
—Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 30 July 2023
The range also features office-ready suiting selects—there’s also an exquisite gown with knit detailing.
—Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 12 Sep. 2023
Some of our top selects include the sleeveless turtleneck, the signature tee, and the pure wide leg denim.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 21 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'select.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Latin selectus, past participle of seligere to select, from se- apart (from sed, se without) + legere to gather, select — more at suicide, legend
First Known Use
Adjective
circa 1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1566, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
1610, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing select
Dictionary Entries Near select
Cite this Entry
“Select.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/select. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
Medical Definition
select
intransitive verb
se·lect
sə-ˈlekt 
: to cause a specified gene, trait, or organism to become more frequent or less frequent
—usually used with for or against
animal breeders need to select simultaneously for improved conformity to breed characteristics and against defective genes causing disease
More from Merriam-Webster on select
Nglish: Translation of select for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of select for Arabic Speakers
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