Definition of OPTION

option

Plural: options

Noun

  • the right to buy or sell property at an agreed price; the right is purchased and if it is not exercised by a stated date the money is forfeited
  • one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen
    • "what option did I have?"
  • the act of choosing or selecting
  • One of a set of choices that can be made.
  • The freedom or right to choose.
  • 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.
  • 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.

Verb

Verb Forms: optioned, optioning, options

  • To secure the exclusive right to purchase an asset.
  • To purchase an option on something.
  • To configure, by setting an option.

Examples

  • He tried to option the valuable triple-word square, preventing his opponent from using it.
  • The new novel was optioned by the film studio, but they'll probably never decide to make a movie from it.

Origin / Etymology

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

Scrabble Score: 8

option: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
option: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
option: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

option: valid Words With Friends Word