favorite
Americannoun
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favorites
plural
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a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference.
That song is an old favorite of mine.
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Sports. a competitor considered likely to win.
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a person or thing popular with the public.
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a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc..
favorites at the court.
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Digital Technology. bookmark.
adjective
Usage
Spelling tips for favorite The word favorite is hard to spell for two reasons. First, in British English it is spelled with a u (favourite), unlike the American English spelling favorite. Second, the final e is silent. How to spell favorite: When you do someone a favor, you don't do it for yourself. So, there is no u in favor. Now that we have the beginning of the word down, how do we remember the e in -ite? Well, it wouldn't be anything without an Ending (an e at the end). Put the two together and you get favorite.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of favorite
First recorded in 1575–85; from Middle French, from Italian favorito, “favored,” past participle of favorire “to favor, support,” from favore “favor, goodwill”; see favor, -ite 2
Explanation
Your favorite is what you like best. Your room is probably painted your favorite color, and the folders you carry to school are probably that color too. In a competition, the favorite is the one considered likely to win. If you bet on the favorite in a horse race, you're betting on the horse lots of other people think will win. The opposite of the favorite is the dark horse, or the underdog, or the long shot. You may have a favorite recipe, a favorite Web site, a favorite pastime, a favorite anything.
Vocabulary lists containing favorite
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Crittercam to the Rescue"
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"I Remember"
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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.
See Examples For:
The saying is one of his favorite maxims, but it hasn’t been uttered by any other world leader for centuries.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
In honor of Slate’s 30th anniversary, my colleagues have been revisiting some of their favorite stories from over the years.
From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2026
The space became a favorite retreat for the couple, who Menounos said would sometimes spend entire weekends there watching movies and TV shows.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
One was Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, the National League MVP favorite and MLB’s defensive fWAR leader.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
“This is her favorite part coming up. The only French she could ever speak!” he says, laughing at the thought.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
I’ll be sharing some of my favorites over the coming weeks, but a pot of soup in the fridge can quietly carry several lunches without asking much of you.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
The immersive show explores horror tropes through themed galleries that explore cinema classics including “Alien,” “Halloween,” “The Exorcist” and “The Shining,” as well as more recent fan favorites such as “Midsommar” and “Get Out.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026
In fact, they’re still loaded and worthy of their status as Super Bowl favorites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Ranging from classics like Columbo and Star Trek to contemporary favorites like Nathan for You and Ramy, there’s something for everyone.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
“It’s one of his favorites, too,” I mumble.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
