option

One of a set of choices that can be made.

Noun

  1. One of a set of choices that can be made.
    • Luiz struggled with the movement of Helguson in the box, as he collected a long ball and the Spaniard barged him over, leaving referee Chris Foy little option but to point to the spot. - 2011 October 23, Becky Ashton,...
    • Libertarian paternalism is the view that, because the way options are presented to citizens affects what they choose, society should present options in a way that “nudges” our intuitive selves to make choices that are...
  2. The freedom or right to choose.
    • The marriage had not been contracted by the father, who was apparently dead, but by an agnatic guardian, so that it was liable to cancellation at the option of the girl on her attaining puberty. - 1895, Roland Knyvet...
  3. A contract giving the holder the right to buy or sell an asset at a set strike price; can apply to financial market transactions, or to ordinary transactions for tangible assets such as a residence or automobile.
    • There's a book out on us and there's gonna be a movie based on the book. ABC has bought the option for a movie to be made specially for T.V. - 1977 August 13, Pala Bennett, Mary Jo Risher, Ann Foreman, “"I'm A Mother,...
  4. The acquiring or retention of a nationality through personal choice as a right, bypassing selective legal mechanisms for naturalization, especially in cases where a territory is transferred or passed on from one state to another.
    • At that time every emigrant who was made aware of such a notification submitted his application for option to the British Consuls within the period prescribed. - 1928, Appeal to the Noble English Nation by the Committee...
    • A right of option, mostly in favour of the nationality of the predecessor State, has been accorded in most cases of partial State succession, either by treaty or by domestic legislation. - 1998, Venice Commission,...
    • This group constitutes around 9 percent of the total number of acquisitions of Dutch nationality through option. - 2012, Oliver W. Vonk, Dual Nationality in the European Union: A Study on Changing Norms […], →ISBN, page...

Origin

From French option, from Latin optiō (“choice; option; act of choosing”), from optō (“to choose, select”). Equivalent to opt + -ion.

Forms

options

Synonyms

alternative choice possibility option contingency

Hypernyms

derivative

Hyponyms

American option Bermudan option European option call option call put option put warrant dilemma fallback trilemma

Related

opt optimal optimise optimize optimism optimist optimistic

Derived

antioption antioptionist binary option co-option credit default option greenshoe option local option low exercise price option multioption negative option network option time non-option not an option nuclear option optionable optionaire optional optionary option button optionee optioneering optionless optionlike optionor

Verb

  1. To purchase an option on something.
    • The new novel was optioned by the film studio, but they'll probably never decide to make a movie from it.
  2. To configure, by setting an option.
    • The device that is to echo the characters should be optioned for echoplexing. - 1991, Martin D. Seyer, RS-232 made easy:

Forms

options optioning optioned