favorite
Americannoun
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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:
I second many of their picks, including film recommendations for “Obsession” and “The Invite,” two of my favorite movies of 2026 so far.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
Outside in the streets, the cosplayers enjoyed mugging for the cameras or taking selfies and laughing at themselves and others while interacting with their favorite celebrities.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
It was a fairly typical day in Kaye’s courtroom, and he was looking forward to one of his favorite activities — graduation ceremonies for people who completed the treatment plan he was describing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Peptides are a rising favorite of wellness medical spas and longevity clinics, despite being largely unstudied and sold in the U.S. with research-use-only labels.
From Slate ● Jul. 29, 2026
He knows what kind of notebook I like, and he remembers my old favorite color.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Starbucks is gearing up for a return of favorites such as pumpkin spice lattes in the fall and will begin testing sparkling beverages in a few markets, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
I also asked readers to share their own favorites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
He even thinks the tech could get people to reread old favorites: "Now is the time to maybe dive into areas where it was really hard to do in the past."
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Nongshim Shin Ramyun is another one of my favorites, as the noodles are made to be enjoyed in a spicy soup.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
She had another song about the color blue, but the green song was one of my favorites.
From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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.
