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# option

«option» in Mova's school dictionary: **One of the things you can choose from** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (an option, options); verb (option, options, optioned, optioning — rare, business use)

### meaning for a pupil

1) One of the things you can choose from. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#m1)

2) The freedom or right to choose. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#m2)

3) A school subject you choose to study (UK). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#m3)

4) (formal, business) A right to buy or sell something later. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In school it appears in multiple-choice questions (option A, B, C or D) and in choosing subjects. In computing, options are settings in a menu. In everyday life it means a choice. In maths, counting options leads to combinations: 3 shirts and 2 pairs of trousers give 6 options. Phrases: have no option but to, the best option, keep your options open, an optional extra.

### examples

- Option C is the right answer. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x1)
- We had two options: walk or take the bus. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x2)
- I had no option but to wait in the rain. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x3)
- The vegetarian option on the menu is pasta. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x4)
- Click Options to change the sound. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x5)
- She took French as one of her options. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x6)
- With 4 flavours and 3 toppings there are 12 options. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x7)
- Keep your options open until you have all the facts. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/#x8)

### note

Countable: an option, two options; use «an» because it starts with a vowel sound. Optional (adjective) means you may choose not to do it. In counting problems, multiply the number of options at each step to get all possible combinations.

### In the corpora

- ["We are reviewing our options" often means we have not decided anything.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/24-government-spin/24/)
- ["We are reviewing our options" often means nothing has been decided yet.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/42-olympiad-reading-between-the-lines/15/)
- [A dilemma is a choice in which every option has a cost.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/48-lifeboat-choices/5/)
- [Some dilemmas have no clearly right choice; then we look for the least bad option and give honest reasons.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/religion-ethics/48-lifeboat-choices/17/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «option» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/option/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.