prefer

American  

[pri-fur] / prɪˈfɜr /

verb (used with object)

• prefers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preferred,
  past participle,  past
• preferring
  present participle

1. 

   to set or hold before or above other persons or things in estimation; like better; choose rather than.

   to prefer beef to chicken.

   Synonyms:

   fancy, favor

   Antonyms:

   reject

2. Law. to give priority, as to one creditor over another.

3. to put forward or present (a statement, suit, charge, etc.) for consideration or sanction.

   Synonyms:

   tender, proffer, offer

   Antonyms:

   retract

4. to put forward or advance, as in rank or office; promote.

   to be preferred for advancement.

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verb (used without object)

• prefers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preferred,
  past participle,  past
• preferring
  present participle

1. to wish or feel inclined.

   For this stir-fry you can skip the cashews if you prefer.

prefer British  

/ prɪˈfɜː /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to like better or value more highly

   I prefer to stand

2. law to give preference, esp to one creditor over others

3. (esp of the police) to put (charges) before a court, judge, magistrate, etc, for consideration and judgment

4. (tr; often passive) to advance in rank over another or others; promote

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Usage

Normally, to is used after prefer and preferable, not than: I prefer Brahms to Tchaikovsky; a small income is preferable to no income at all . However, than or rather than should be used to link infinitives: I prefer to walk than/rather than to catch the train

Synonym Usage

See choose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preferredness
  noun
• preferrer
  noun
• unpreferred
  adjective
• preferredly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• preferring
  present
• preferred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prefer
  simple
• prefers
  simple
• have preferred
  perfect
• has preferred
  perfect
• am preferring
  progressive
• are preferring
  progressive
• is preferring
  progressive
• have been preferring
  perfect progressive
• has been preferring
  perfect progressive

Past

• preferred
  simple
• had preferred
  perfect
• was preferring
  progressive
• were preferring
  progressive
• had been preferring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prefer
  simple
• will have preferred
  perfect
• will be preferring
  progressive
• will have been preferring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of prefer

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English preferren, prefer(re), from Anglo-French, Old French preferer, from Latin praeferre “to bear before, set before, prefer,” equivalent to prae- pre- + ferre to bear ¹

Explanation

Prefer means to like better. If your parents prefer your sister to you, chances are her allowance will be higher and you'll get blamed for things she's done. If someone offers you hamburgers and hot dogs, it's more polite to say, "I'd prefer a hot dog," than "Blech, hamburgers. Gag me!" Note that prefer means not just to like, but to like better––you're comparing two or more things. Whether it be chocolate ice cream over other flavors, or getting going first thing in the morning as opposed to lounging in your PJs, what you prefer is called your preference. And if you like them all the same, you can say you have no preference

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prefer prefers preferred preferring

"But I'd prefer to be on 10% and looking at winning 80 seats than on 15% and winning four."

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Gulf Coast refineries prefer using to make gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

They are just true for the same reason — and it isn’t the one Disney would prefer people believe.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

It is much more nutrient-rich and that is bad news for this rare lowland heathland, where the traditional plants prefer poorer quality soil.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“To answer the riddles. I’m no philosopher, and I prefer, in an ideal world, to go uneaten. And you do owe me: for the business with the lampposts.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Within tech, Wells Fargo said it prefers software to microchips.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

“It’s a gorgeous thing. I’d be afraid to wear it,” said Bath, who prefers a $150 Glycine Airman he bought at a base exchange.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

In the long term, perhaps Kroenke prefers the Los Angeles name the Angels have worn for 27 seasons, rather than the Anaheim name they wore for eight seasons.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Barcola, who will wear the number 29 shirt at Anfield, prefers to play on the left wing but can operate across the forward line.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

He prefers not to ruin things with any more questions.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

Still, the trimmed mean and weighted median measures of underlying inflation preferred by the Bank of Canada were unchanged, averaging 1.95% annually.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

The lane draft: Athletes contesting the 200m will take part in a lane draft, selecting their preferred semi-final heat and lane in world rankings order.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Others said their children had nothing to do with the trauma of Sept. 11, that they preferred not to discuss it with them.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

And, in a nod to MLB, LA28 organizers scheduled the baseball competition in a preferred window, starting before any competition in gymnastics, swimming and track and field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

Ordinarily, she preferred hunting outside the theater, perhaps finding an evening minyan she could join or a wedding to crash.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

For most of this decade, Subaru’s leadership has limited spending on in-house electrification programs, preferring to rely on partners and suppliers—most conspicuously, Toyota, which owns a 20% interest in Subaru Corporation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

Adult cats, specifically, rarely meow to one another, instead preferring other vocal intonations or facial signifiers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Cook, 29, played his one Test against Zimbabwe last summer while 22-year-old Bashir is yet to feature in this series, with England preferring an all-pace attack.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Mr. Warsh seems particularly hostile to that kind of talk, preferring to let markets guess.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

We never made it to Delmonico’s, preferring a moderately priced Italian restaurant near the Lochmoor, where we felt more comfortable.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• adopt
• choose
• go for
• pick
• promote
• put
• select
• suggest
• wish