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choose

[chooz]

Origin

verb (used with object)

to select from a number of possibilities; pick by preference: She chose Sunday for her departure.

to prefer or decide (to do something): He chose to run for election.

to want; desire.

(especially in children's games) to contend with (an opponent) to decide, as by odd or even, who will do something: I'll choose you to see who gets to bat first.

verb (used without object)

to make a choice: He chose carefully.

to be inclined: You may stay here, if you choose.

(especially in children's games) to decide, as by means of odd or even, who will do something: Let's choose to see who bats first.

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Choose is one of our favorite verbs.

So is fletcherise. Does it mean:

to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.

to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Verb phrase

choose up,

to select (players) for a contest or game: The boys chose up sides for the game.

to select players for a contest or game: We have to choose up before we can play.

Idiom

cannot choose but, cannot do otherwise than; is or are obliged to: He cannot choose but obey.

Origin:
before 1000; Middle English chosen, chēsen, Old English cēosan; cognate with Gothic kiusan, Old High German kiosan (German kiesen); akin to Greek geúesthai to enjoy, Latin gustāre to taste (see gusto)

Related forms

choos·a·ble, adjective

choos·er, noun

pre·choose, verb (used with object), -chose, -cho·sen, -choos·ing.

re·choose, verb, -chose, -cho·sen, -choos·ing.

un·choos·a·ble, adjective

Can be confused: chews, choose (see synonym note at the current entry).

Synonyms
1. Choose, select, pick, elect, prefer indicate a decision that one or more possibilities are to be regarded more highly than others. Choose suggests a decision on one of a number of possibilities because of its apparent superiority: to choose a course of action. Select suggests a choice made for fitness: to select the proper golf club. Pick, an informal word, suggests a selection on personal grounds: to pick a winner. The formal word elect suggests a kind of official action: to elect a representative. Prefer, also formal, emphasizes the desire or liking for one thing more than for another or others: to prefer coffee to tea.

Antonyms
1. reject.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To choose

Collins

World English Dictionary

choose (tʃuːz)

—vb , chooses, choosing, chose, chosen
1.	to select (a person, thing, course of action, etc) from a number of alternatives
2.	(tr; takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to consider it desirable or proper: I don't choose to read that book
3.	(intr) to like; please: you may stand if you choose
4.	cannot choose but to be obliged to: we cannot choose but vote for him
5.	nothing to choose between, little to choose between (of two people or objects) almost equal

[Old English ceosan; related to Old Norse kjōsa, Old High German kiosan]

'chooser

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

choose

O.E. ceosan "choose, taste, try" (class II strong verb; past tense ceas, pp. coren), from P.Gmc. *keusanan, from PIE base *geus- "to taste, relish" (see gusto). Variant spelling chuse is M.E., very frequent 16c.-18c. Only remotely related to choice. The irregular pp. leveled out to chosen by 1200.

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

choose

In addition to the idiom beginning with choose, also see beggars can't be choosers; pick and choose. Also see under choice.