diff --git a/packages/docs-app/src/examples/select-examples/films.tsx b/packages/docs-app/src/examples/select-examples/films.tsx
index 4f94eabf32..329352abf0 100644
--- a/packages/docs-app/src/examples/select-examples/films.tsx
+++ b/packages/docs-app/src/examples/select-examples/films.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
  */
 
 import { Classes, MenuItem } from "@blueprintjs/core";
-import { ItemRenderer } from "@blueprintjs/select";
+import { ItemPredicate, ItemRenderer } from "@blueprintjs/select";
 import * as classNames from "classnames";
 import * as React from "react";
 
@@ -141,9 +141,9 @@ export const renderFilm: ItemRenderer<IFilm> = (film, { handleClick, modifiers }
     );
 };
 
-export function filterFilm(query: string, film: IFilm) {
+export const filterFilm: ItemPredicate<IFilm> = (query, film) => {
     return `${film.rank}. ${film.title.toLowerCase()} ${film.year}`.indexOf(query.toLowerCase()) >= 0;
-}
+};
 
 export const filmSelectProps = {
     itemPredicate: filterFilm,
diff --git a/packages/select/src/components/query-list/itemRenderer.ts b/packages/select/src/common/itemRenderer.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/select/src/components/query-list/itemRenderer.ts
rename to packages/select/src/common/itemRenderer.ts
diff --git a/packages/select/src/common/predicate.ts b/packages/select/src/common/predicate.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b7e7889a0c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/select/src/common/predicate.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+/*
+* Copyright 2018 Palantir Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved.
+*
+* Licensed under the terms of the LICENSE file distributed with this project.
+*/
+
+/**
+ * Customize querying of entire `items` array. Return new list of items.
+ * This method can reorder, add, or remove items at will.
+ * (Supports filter algorithms that operate on the entire set, rather than individual items.)
+ *
+ * If defined with `itemPredicate`, this prop takes priority and the other will be ignored.
+ */
+export type ItemListPredicate<T> = (query: string, items: T[]) => T[];
+
+/**
+ * Customize querying of individual items. Return `true` to keep the item, `false` to hide.
+ * This method will be invoked once for each item, so it should be performant. For more complex
+ * queries, use `itemListPredicate` to operate once on the entire array.
+ *
+ * If defined with `itemListPredicate`, this prop will be ignored.
+ */
+export type ItemPredicate<T> = (query: string, item: T, index: number) => boolean;
diff --git a/packages/select/src/components/index.ts b/packages/select/src/components/index.ts
index 1ae0e15f67..8b4d1a561f 100644
--- a/packages/select/src/components/index.ts
+++ b/packages/select/src/components/index.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
  */
 
 export * from "./omnibar/omnibar";
-export * from "./query-list/itemRenderer";
 export * from "./query-list/queryList";
 export * from "./select/multiSelect";
 export * from "./select/select";
diff --git a/packages/select/src/components/query-list/queryList.tsx b/packages/select/src/components/query-list/queryList.tsx
index 9539bc3de2..b57862bc25 100644
--- a/packages/select/src/components/query-list/queryList.tsx
+++ b/packages/select/src/components/query-list/queryList.tsx
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@
 import * as React from "react";
 
 import { IProps, Keys, Utils } from "@blueprintjs/core";
-import { IItemModifiers, ItemRenderer } from "./itemRenderer";
+import { IItemModifiers, ItemRenderer } from "../../common/itemRenderer";
+import { ItemListPredicate, ItemPredicate } from "../../common/predicate";
 
 /** Reusable generic props for a component that operates on a filterable, selectable list of `items`. */
 export interface IListItemsProps<T> extends IProps {
@@ -21,7 +22,7 @@ export interface IListItemsProps<T> extends IProps {
      *
      * If defined with `itemPredicate`, this prop takes priority and the other will be ignored.
      */
-    itemListPredicate?: (query: string, items: T[]) => T[];
+    itemListPredicate?: ItemListPredicate<T>;
 
     /**
      * Customize querying of individual items. Return `true` to keep the item, `false` to hide.
@@ -30,7 +31,7 @@ export interface IListItemsProps<T> extends IProps {
      *
      * If defined with `itemListPredicate`, this prop will be ignored.
      */
-    itemPredicate?: (query: string, item: T, index: number) => boolean;
+    itemPredicate?: ItemPredicate<T>;
 
     /**
      * Custom renderer for an item in the dropdown list. Receives a boolean indicating whether
diff --git a/packages/select/src/components/select/select-component.md b/packages/select/src/components/select/select-component.md
index 745f8dfe91..a906860c27 100644
--- a/packages/select/src/components/select/select-component.md
+++ b/packages/select/src/components/select/select-component.md
@@ -43,6 +43,9 @@ Supply a predicate to automatically query items based on the `InputGroup` value.
 
 Omitting both `itemPredicate` and `itemListPredicate` props will cause the component to always render all `items`. It will not hide the `InputGroup`; use the `filterable` prop for that. In this case, you can implement your own filtering and simply change the `items` prop.
 
+The __@blueprintjs/select__ package exports `ItemPredicate<T>` and `ItemListPredicate<T>` type aliases to simplify the process of implementing these functions.
+See the code sample in [Item Renderer API](#select/select-component.item-renderer-api) below for usage.
+
 @### Non-ideal states
 
 If the query returns no results or `items` is empty, then `noResults` will be rendered in place of the usual list. You also have the option to provide `initialContent`, which will render in place of the item list if the query is empty.
@@ -76,9 +79,14 @@ or face React's console wrath!
 
 ```tsx
 import { Classes, MenuItem } from "@blueprintjs/core";
-import { ItemRenderer, Select } from "@blueprintjs/select";
+import { ItemRenderer, ItemPredicate, Select } from "@blueprintjs/select";
+
 const FilmSelect = Select.ofType<Film>();
 
+const filterFilm: ItemPredicate<IFilm> = (query, film) => {
+    return film.title.toLowerCase().indexOf(query.toLowerCase()) >= 0;
+};
+
 const renderFilm: ItemRenderer<Film> = (item, { handleClick, modifiers }) => {
     if (!modifiers.filtered) {
         return null;
@@ -94,7 +102,7 @@ const renderFilm: ItemRenderer<Film> = (item, { handleClick, modifiers }) => {
     );
 };
 
-<FilmSelect itemRenderer={renderFilm} items={...} onItemSelect={...} />
+<FilmSelect itemPredicate={filterFilm} itemRenderer={renderFilm} items={...} onItemSelect={...} />
 ```
 
 @interface IItemRendererProps
diff --git a/packages/select/src/index.ts b/packages/select/src/index.ts
index 9eba1a0ecb..8e0af3253a 100644
--- a/packages/select/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/select/src/index.ts
@@ -5,4 +5,6 @@
  */
 
 export * from "./common/classes";
+export * from "./common/itemRenderer";
+export * from "./common/predicate";
 export * from "./components";