prefer
to set or hold before or above other persons or things in estimation; like better; choose rather than: to prefer beef to chicken.
Law. to give priority, as to one creditor over another.
to put forward or present (a statement, suit, charge, etc.) for consideration or sanction.
to put forward or advance, as in rank or office; promote: to be preferred for advancement.
to wish or feel inclined: For this stir-fry you can skip the cashews if you prefer.
Origin of prefer
1synonym study For prefer
Other words for prefer
Opposites for prefer
Other words from prefer
- pre·fer·red·ly [pri-fur-id-lee, -furd-lee], /prɪˈfɜr ɪd li, -ˈfɜrd li/, adverb
- pre·fer·red·ness, noun
- pre·fer·rer, noun
- un·pre·ferred, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use prefer in a sentence
He prefers to express himself through Twitter and leave it at that.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe said he prefers to forget about his 18-month stint with the Railroad Commission.
Two Texas Regulators Tried to Enforce the Rules. They Were Fired. | David Hasemyer, InsideClimate News | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBoyfriend, a New Orleans-based rapper who prefers not to reveal her real name, gets up from her decaf cafe au lait.
And she prefers living with other women who understand the humiliation she went through.
Escaping Assad’s Rape Prisons: A Survivor Tells Her Story | Jamie Dettmer | October 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTForgács prefers a Western audience open to his subject matter and wealthy enough to fund it.
In Hands of Hungarian Artist, Jewish Home Movies of the ’30s a Warning of Coming Holocaust | Daniel Genis | October 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
She apparently prefers to paint single figures of women and young girls, but her works include a variety of subjects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementHis sister Edith, three years old, does not like to play horse: she prefers to be with her dollies.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1 | VariousIf the reader prefers to keep eleven (or twelve) syllables in this line, I am sorry for him.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerA foreigner with an imperfect knowledge of English naturally prefers a doctor to whom he can speak in his own tongue.
The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le QueuxHave both a feather bed and a mattress upon the bedstead, that she may place whichever she prefers uppermost.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
British Dictionary definitions for prefer
/ (prɪˈfɜː) /
(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to like better or value more highly: I prefer to stand
law to give preference, esp to one creditor over others
(esp of the police) to put (charges) before a court, judge, magistrate, etc, for consideration and judgment
(tr; often passive) to advance in rank over another or others; promote
Origin of prefer
1usage For prefer
Derived forms of prefer
- preferrer, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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