opt

1 of 2

verb

ˈäpt 

opted; opting; opts

intransitive verb

: to make a choice

especially : to decide in favor of something

… opted for a tax increase …

—Tom Wicker

After perusing the menu he opted for the prime rib.

opt

2 of 2

abbreviation

1

optical; optician; optics

2

option; optional

Synonyms of opt

Verb

• choose
• decide
• figure

Examples of opt in a Sentence

Verb

after that near catastrophe, they opted to reinstate the telephone service

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

This falls short of the double-digit growth being reported by Meta and Microsoft, but IBM is opting for a conservative approach. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Jenner opted for look 48 from Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel Metiers d’art show. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 29 Jan. 2026

Many observers speculated Yoon opted to place the country under a military rule to protect his wife from possible investigations. —Arkansas Online, 29 Jan. 2026

Accepting does not affect your right to opt-out at any time via the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link in the website footer. —Prima Wirayani, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

French opter, from Latin optare

First Known Use

Verb

1853, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing opt

• co-opt
• opt in
• opt out

Rhymes for opt

• chopped
• cropped
• dropped
• dropt
• flopped
• hopped
• lopped
• mopped
• plopped
• popped
• propped
• shopped

Kids Definition

opt

verb

ˈäpt

: to make a choice

Medical Definition

opt

abbreviation

optician