Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for would rather. Search instead for I would rather.
Synonyms

would rather

Idioms  

  1. Prefer to, as in We would rather eat dinner before the movie. [Mid-1500s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Amundson doesn’t want to mess with his usual planting plans and would rather apply less fertilizer than pay the higher price tag for it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

I would rather be wrong because of my own inputs.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Rather than endure the shame of public scorn — which would still make no material difference to their levels of power— the justices would rather hide their views.

From Salon • Apr. 22, 2026

The Baltic Sea offers beach getaways for those who would rather not swelter in Spain or inland.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

She would rather die than live like this forever, but she kept murmuring to herself, “This will pass, this will pass.”

From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.