favour

American  

[fey-ver] / ˈfeɪ vər /

noun

Chiefly British.

1. favor.

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favour British  

/ ˈfeɪvə /

noun

1. an approving attitude; good will

2. an act performed out of good will, generosity, or mercy

3. prejudice and partiality; favouritism

4. a condition of being regarded with approval or good will (esp in the phrases in favour , out of favour )

5. archaic  leave; permission

6. a token of love, goodwill, etc

7. a small gift or toy given to a guest at a party

8. history a badge or ribbon worn or given to indicate loyalty, often bestowed on a knight by a lady

9. obsolete  a communication, esp a business letter

10. archaic  appearance

11. to be approved of by someone

12. 1. approving

    2. to the benefit of

    3. (of a cheque, etc) made out to

    4. in order to show preference for

       I rejected him in favour of George

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verb

1. to regard with especial kindness or approval

2. to treat with partiality or favouritism

3. to support; advocate

4. to perform a favour for; oblige

5. to help; facilitate

6. informal  to resemble

   he favours his father

7. to wear habitually

   she favours red

8. to treat gingerly or with tenderness; spare

   a footballer favouring an injured leg

Spelling

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• favourer noun
• favouringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of favour

C14: from Latin, from favēre to protect

Example Sentences

We are at the stage where I am thinking should I do Black Cats fans a favour by tipping them to lose again here, because we know what happens when I do that - they win.

From BBC

That led to a federal judge ruling in their favour in August.

From BBC

In the video, Juan Carlos also urged Spain to support his son Felipe VI, in whose favour he abdicated in 2014, "in this difficult task of uniting all Spaniards".

From Barron's

Unite said the Job&Talent recruitment agency workers had voted in favour of strike action "over bullying, harassment and the threat of blacklisting at the council's refuse department two weeks ago".

From BBC

Those in favour of the world-first December 10 ban point to a growing mass of studies that suggest too much time online takes a toll on teen wellbeing.

From Barron's