option Definition

option
noun

1. An act of choosing.
2. That which is or which may be chosen.

Thesaurus: choice, selection, alternative, opportunity.
3. The power or right to choose.

Example: You have no option
Thesaurus: right, prerogative, grant, licence, privilege, title.
4. commerce.
The exclusive right to buy or sell something, eg stocks, at a fixed price and within a specified time-limit.

verb optioned, optioning

1. To buy or sell something under option.
2. To have or grant an option on something.

Idiom: keep one's options open (leave one's options open)

To avoid making a choice or committing oneself to a particular course of action.

Idiom: soft option

The easiest choice or course of action.

Etymology: 16c: French, or from Latin optio, from optare to choose.