select

se·lect | \ sə-ˈlekt

How to pronounce select (audio)

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Definition of select

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : chosen from a number or group by fitness or preference

2a : of special value or excellence : superior, choice

b : exclusively or fastidiously chosen often with regard to social, economic, or cultural characteristics

3 : judicious or restrictive in choice : discriminating pleased with the select appreciation of his books— Osbert Sitwell

select

selected; selecting; selects

Definition of select (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to choose (as by fitness or excellence) from a number or group : pick out

intransitive verb

: to make a choice

select

Definition of select (Entry 3 of 3)

: one that is select —often used in plural

Other Words from select Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about select

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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 Web: Adjective And in select sectors such as education and retail, up to 30% of all venture capital funding is going to firms founded by women, according to PitchBook and All Raise. — Michelle Cheng, Quartz at Work, "VC funding for startups with at least one female founder more than doubled in 2018," 14 Nov. 2019 The momentum continued — and accelerated — in mid-October, when Neon, which acquired Parasite at the American Film Market in 2018, began rolling the film out in select U.S. theaters. — Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, "Making of 'Parasite': How Bong Joon Ho's Real Life Inspired a Plot-Twisty Tale of Rich vs. Poor," 8 Nov. 2019 On November 6, the Puma's Cali Sport will arrive online and in select Puma stores. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Selena Gomez Is the Face of Puma’s Cali Sport," 31 Oct. 2019 The Cat and the Moon opens in select New York and Los Angeles theaters on Friday. — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Noah Baumbach urged Hereditary star Alex Wolff to the director's chair," 22 Oct. 2019 Rudolph will retail for $34 in 375ml bottles in select Ohio state liquor agencies. — Marc Bona, cleveland, "Great Lakes Brewing Co., whiskey company collaborate on 2 releases," 21 Oct. 2019 Preview screenings will be held in select locations on Oct. 24. — Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle, "Kanye West's 'Jesus is King' will premiere in IMAX theaters," 17 Oct. 2019 The key to the approach is the fact that most wildfires happen in select high-risk areas, Appel says. — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian, "This Gel Could Prevent Wildfires," 24 Sep. 2019 Facebook tested out its new local alerts tool in select cities over the past year. — Dalvin Brown, USA TODAY, "Facebook wants to keep you 'in-the-know' about emergencies, active shooters in your area," 27 Aug. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb With that attitude in mind, it’s fun to select the morsels, from those that will undoubtedly impress and disgust dinner companions to those that might come in handy in a trivia contest. — Debra Bruno, Washington Post, "An American writer, seduced by the Seine," 6 Dec. 2019 Guests are then able to select looks tailored to each unique W Hotel location incorporating Rent the Runway’s data on trending colors, designers, silhouettes and the climate of the destination. — Nandi Howard, Essence, "You Can Now Get Rent The Runway Pieces Delivered To Your Hotel Room," 5 Dec. 2019 If at any point a Hero becomes ineligible, chooses not to participate in the Awards Program or is disqualified for any reason, CNN reserves the right to select an alternate Hero. — CNN, "CNN Heroes Legal Disclosures 2020," 5 Dec. 2019 As a senior, Stotts was a team captain and earned First-Team All-Big Eight Conference honors, which led the Houston Rockets to select him in the second round of the NBA draft. — Joe Freeman, oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers’ Terry Stotts to be inducted to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame," 5 Dec. 2019 The lanky 6-5 guard showed enough potential to be selected 52nd overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans; a draft day trade sent him to the Pacers. — Akeem Glaspie, Indianapolis Star, "Guard Edmond Sumner set to rejoin Pacers after rehabbing with Victor Oladipo in G League," 5 Dec. 2019 The Citrus Bowl has no obligation to select the best available Big Ten team. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Is Michigan football vs. Alabama a dream scenario for Citrus Bowl?," 4 Dec. 2019 Fuji Foods is a food manufacturer that provides ready-to-eat sushi, salads, and spring rolls to select retailers and distributors, including Trader Joe’s. — Claudia Harmata, PEOPLE.com, "Trader Joe’s Is Recalling Some Food Items Over Potential Listeria Contamination — What to Know," 4 Dec. 2019 In October, the Education Board approved a plan for a November 2020 election to select a nine-member Little Rock district school board that would have limits on its authority. — Cynthia Howell, Arkansas Online, "State board sets Little Rock work session," 29 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Last year, Big 5 Sporting Goods offered 25% off select Nike apparel, plus early bird shoppers could get $10 in Bonus Bucks with a purchase of $10 or more. — cleveland, "6 Places to shop on Black Friday 2019: Big-boxes and beyond," 14 Nov. 2019 Other Halloween deals include 50 percent off select treats, $5 off platters and a special Halloween six count box for $9.99. — Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, "Halloween 2019: Scare up the best deals, discounts, freebies on doughnuts, pizza, more," 31 Oct. 2019 The limited edition collection will be released November 1 exclusively at select Le Creuset boutique stores and online, the company said. — Lauren M. Johnson, CNN, "The Force is strong with this new collection from Le Creuset," 4 Oct. 2019 The post popped up in select Instagram feeds shortly before the election in 2016. — Jasper Craven, The New Republic, "Russian Trolls Love Targeting U.S. Veterans," 18 Sep. 2019 Scorsese’s The Irishman is currently playing in select theaters, and will arrive on Netflix on Nov. 27. — Tyler Aquilina, EW.com, "Martin Scorsese explains why he opted out of producing Joker, addresses Marvel comments," 4 Nov. 2019 Arlen’s entire, sprinkle-filled line is now available on Jockey’s website and at select stores. — Claudia Harmata, PEOPLE.com, "Victoria Arlen Is Paying Tribute to Her 'Second Chance' at Life with a New Athleisure Line," 26 Sep. 2019 The 10-year-old company also recently partnered with JCPenney and Macy’s to carry its secondhand women’s clothing in select stores. — Mandy Behbehani, SFChronicle.com, "How Bay Area sellers are cashing in on the online resale boom," 20 Sep. 2019 The 170-piece collection, available online and in select stores today, captures the international cool that made Union a leader in luxury menswear. — Ian Malone, Vogue, "Union Los Angeles and Nordstrom Celebrate Their Collaboration With a Lower East Side Block Party," 11 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'select.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about select

Dictionary Entries near select

select committee

Statistics for select

Last Updated

9 Dec 2019

Cite this Entry

“Select.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/select?pronunciation&lang=en_us&dir=s&file=select01. Accessed 10 December 2019.

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More Definitions for select

select

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of select

(Entry 1 of 2)

: chosen from a group to include the best people or things

: of the highest quality

select

verb

English Language Learners Definition of select (Entry 2 of 2)

: to choose (someone or something) from a group

computers : to choose (a particular action, section of text, etc.) especially by using a mouse

See the full definition for select in the English Language Learners Dictionary

select

se·lect | \ sə-ˈlekt

\

selected; selecting

Kids Definition of select

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to pick out from a group I selected a ripe peach.

select

Kids Definition of select (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : chosen to include the best or most suitable individuals select committees Select students participated in the program.

2 : of special value or excellence a select hotel

select

intransitive verb

se·lect | \ sə-ˈlekt

\

Medical Definition of select

: to cause a specified gene, trait, or organism to become more frequent or less frequent —usually used with for or againstanimal breeders need to select simultaneously for improved conformity to breed characteristics and against defective genes causing disease

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WORD OF THE DAY

reiterate

to state or do over again or repeatedly

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