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selection

/səˈlɛkʃən/

/sɪˈlɛkʃən/

Other forms: selections

Selection is all about choosing. Think about a salad bar: you can make a selection from among several choices, with croutons always being a popular selection.

Inside selection is the word select, "to choose." Selection means the act of choosing, the thing chosen, or the offerings to be chosen from among. Selection can also mean a passage excerpted (or selected) from a longer text. Church services often involve reading a day's selection from the Bible.

Definitions of selection
  1. noun
    the act of choosing or selecting
    synonyms: choice, option, pick
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    types:
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    casting
    the choice of actors to play particular roles in a play or movie
    coloration, colouration
    choice and use of colors (as by an artist)
    sampling
    (statistics) the selection of a suitable sample for study
    conclusion, decision, determination
    the act of making up your mind about something
    volition, willing
    the act of making a choice
    election
    the act of selecting someone or something; the exercise of deliberate choice
    ballot, balloting, vote, voting
    a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
    random sampling
    the selection of a random sample; each element of the population has an equal chance of been selected
    proportional sampling, representative sampling, stratified sampling
    the population is divided into subpopulations (strata) and random samples are taken of each stratum
    intention
    an act of intending; a volition that you intend to carry out
    appointment, assignment, designation, naming
    the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
    call
    (sports) the decision made by an umpire or referee
    move
    the act of deciding to do something
    casting lots, drawing lots, sortition
    making a chance decision by using lots (straws or pebbles etc.) that are thrown or drawn
    resolution
    a decision to do something or to behave in a certain manner
    co-optation, co-option
    the selection of a new member (usually by a vote of the existing membership)
    block vote
    a vote proportional in magnitude to the number of people that a delegate represents
    cumulative vote
    an election in which each person has as many votes as there are positions to be filled and they can all be cast for one candidate or can be distributed in any manner
    secret ballot
    a vote in which each person's choice is secret but the totaled votes are public
    split ticket
    a ballot cast by a voter who votes for candidates from more than one party
    straight ticket
    a ballot cast by a voter who votes for all the candidates of one party
    multiple voting
    the act of voting in more than one place by the same person at the same election (illegal in U.S.)
    casting vote
    the deciding vote cast by the presiding officer to resolve a tie
    veto
    a vote that blocks a decision
    write-in
    a vote cast by writing in the name of a candidate who is not listed on the ballot
    abstention
    the act of declining to vote for or against something
    type of:
    action
    something done (usually as opposed to something said)
  2. noun
    the person or thing chosen or selected
    synonyms: choice, pick
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    types:
    pleasure
    a formal expression
    favorite, favourite
    something regarded with special favor or liking
    way
    doing as one pleases or chooses
    type of:
    deciding, decision making
    the cognitive process of reaching a decision
  3. noun
    an assortment of things from which a choice can be made
    “the store carried a large selection of shoes”
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    type of:
    assortment, medley, miscellanea, miscellany, mixed bag, mixture, motley, potpourri, salmagundi, smorgasbord, variety
    a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
  4. noun
    a passage selected from a larger work
    synonyms: excerpt, excerption, extract
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    examples:
    Haphtarah
    a short selection from the Prophets read on every Sabbath in a Jewish synagogue following a reading from the Torah
    types:
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    chrestomathy
    a selection of passages from different authors that is compiled as an aid in learning a language
    analecta, analects
    a collection of excerpts from a literary work
    clipping, cutting, newspaper clipping, press clipping, press cutting
    an excerpt cut from a newspaper or magazine
    cut, track
    a distinct selection of music from a recording or a compact disc
    citation, quotation, quote
    a passage or expression that is quoted or cited
    epigraph
    a quotation at the beginning of some piece of writing
    mimesis
    the representation of another person's words in a speech
    misquotation, misquote
    an incorrect quotation
    type of:
    passage
    a section of text; particularly a section of medium length
  5. noun
    a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment
    synonyms: natural selection, survival, survival of the fittest
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    type of:
    action, activity, natural action, natural process
    a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
Pronunciation
US

/səˈlɛkʃən/

UK

/sɪˈlɛkʃən/

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