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select

verb · adjective · noun

Simple meaning

To choose one or more elements of a set.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

suhlehkt

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

səˈlɛkt

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. To choose one or more elements of a set, especially a set of options.

  2. databases

    To obtain a set of data from a database using a query.

adjective

  1. Of high quality; top-notch.

  2. Privileged, specially selected.

noun

  1. A button (of a joystick, joypad or similar device) that, when pressed, activates any of certain predefined functions that usually, but not always, involve selecting something out of a list of items.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Pick

select group

Privileged

select committee

Button

select bibliography

Other combinations

select statement

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • selectedadjectiveInflected form

    Chosen in preference to another.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • selectornounPerson or profession

    A person who chooses or selects out.

  • selectivelyadverbDerived adverb

    By selection.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • select committeenounCompound term

    A parliamentary committee appointed for some special purpose.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • selectionnounRelated term

    The act of choosing or selecting.

  • selector switchnounRelated term

    A switch that is used to select among alternatives.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.