prefer
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prefers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preferred,
past participle, past
-
preferring
present participle
-
to set or hold before or above other persons or things in estimation; like better; choose rather than.
to prefer beef to chicken.
- Antonyms:
- reject
-
Law. to give priority, as to one creditor over another.
-
to put forward or present (a statement, suit, charge, etc.) for consideration or sanction.
- Antonyms:
- retract
-
to put forward or advance, as in rank or office; promote.
to be preferred for advancement.
verb (used without object)
-
prefers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preferred,
past participle, past
-
preferring
present participle
verb
-
(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
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prefersimple
-
preferssimple
-
have preferredperfect
-
has preferredperfect
-
am preferringprogressive
-
are preferringprogressive
-
is preferringprogressive
-
have been preferringperfect progressive
-
has been preferringperfect progressive
Past
-
preferredsimple
-
had preferredperfect
-
was preferringprogressive
-
were preferringprogressive
-
had been preferringperfect progressive
Future
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
Vocabulary lists containing prefer
The Secret Life of Bees
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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The Circuit
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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:
However, another part of me would actually prefer to donate the house and SUV to charity.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
I much prefer the modern apology “my bad.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
It’s lunchtime at Fountain Grains & Greens in East Hollywood, a counter-service restaurant where customers increasingly prefer their rice and vegetable bowls piled high with hunks of chicken or steak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Some financial analysts compared Bessent’s maneuvers to “rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic”—which probably isn’t an analogy he’d prefer to see!
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
It also leads many other music traditions to prefer tunings other than equal temperament, particularly tunings in which some of the important intervals are based on the pure, simple-ratio intervals of physics.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
In high school, he was a choir kid, and though he can “listen to just about anything,” he prefers “west coast rap.”
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
She prefers the term “memoir” for this creation and assures readers she is a reliable narrator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Toure - who is only eight months older than Diomande, now of Real Madrid - prefers to operate down the left flank, although he can be effective on both sides.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
The world of “Lanterns” prefers to be bracingly honest about our false assumptions about heroism and whether the people we deem to be noble really are.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
Enrique prefers to cross the river in El Carmen, where the bus leaves him, even though there are no rafts and the Rio Suchiate is more narrow, fast, and rocky.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Arteta is fully aware if Alvarez was to join Arsenal this summer he would only be doing so because his preferred destination was not possible.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Beyond Jackson Hole, Wednesday’s release of July PCE inflation data—the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation-will be the most closely-watched piece of economic data.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
“The open question remains: Is she the preferred candidate of African Americans? We’ll see in the general.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Rep. Byron Donalds, the president’s preferred nominee for governor, did win his primary, but with less than 50 percent of the vote.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
“Do you want to start your first day at Somewhere Middle School not knowing anybody’s names or hobbies or favorite shows or preferred ice cream flavors?”
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Teng mostly avoids on-camera interviews with her subjects, preferring to watch them interacting with patients or in the operating room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
"This excess in supply is also likely an additional factor serving to weigh on global sovereign debt markets with some investors preferring to invest in Big Tech as opposed to indebted sovereigns."
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Yet the journalist appears reluctant to focus on the pressures he's under, preferring instead to highlight the plight of compatriots in prison.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Short-only funds like hers had been falling out of vogue, with investors instead preferring long-short funds or the fast-growing multi-managers that run sprawling portfolios and tightly manage risk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Mom told me the bonobos don’t spend much time here, preferring the coverage of trees during the rainy season.
From "Endangered" by Eliot Schrefer
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.
