selection

UK: /sɪˈlɛkʃ^ən/ US: /sɪˈlɛkʃən/ ,(si lek′shən)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

se•lec•tion /sɪˈlɛkʃən/   n. 

1. an act or instance of selecting, or the state of being selected:
   [uncountable] The selection of a president takes place every four years.
2. [countable] a thing or things selected.
3. a group of things displayed, as in a store:
   [countable] a fine selection of wines.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

se•lec•tion  (si lek′shən), n. 

1. an act or instance of selecting or the state of being selected;
   choice.
2. a thing or a number of things selected.
3. an aggregate of things displayed for choice, purchase, use, etc.;
   a group from which a choice may be made:
   The store had a wide selection of bracelets.
4. Biology any natural or artificial process that results in differential reproduction among the members of a population so that the inheritable traits of only certain individuals are passed on, or are passed on in greater proportion, to succeeding generations. Cf. natural selection, sexual selection, kin selection, artificial selection. 
5. Linguistics
   • the choice of one form instead of another in a position where either can occur, as of ask instead of tell or with in the phrase ask me.
   • the choice of one semantic or syntactic class of words in a construction, to the exclusion of others that do not occur there, as the choice of an animate object for the verb surprise.

• Latin sēlēctiōn- (stem of sēlēctiō), equivalent. to sēlēct(us) (see select) + -iōn- -ion
• 1640–50

se•lec′tion•al, adj. 
Synonyms

• 2. collection, gathering, pick.

Antonyms

• 1. rejection.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

selection / sɪˈlɛkʃən/ noun

1. the act or an instance of selecting or the state of being selected
2. a thing or number of things that have been selected
3. a range from which something may be selected: this shop has a good selection of clothes
4. the natural or artificial process by which certain organisms or characters are reproduced and perpetuated in the species in preference to others
   See also natural selection

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

K selection,  [Ecol.]

1. Ecology selection occurring when a population is at or near the carrying capacity of the environment, which is usually stable: tends to favor individuals that successfully compete for resources and produce few, slowly developing young, and results in a stable population of long-lived individuals. Cf. r selection. 

Also, K  -se•lec•tion  (kā′si lek′shən).  K -se•lect•ed  (kā′si lek′tid), adj.