Trivia Time

Which one of these is not one of Maria's favorite things in The Sound of Music?

Test Your Knowledge

favorite

American  

[fay-ver-it, fayv-rit] / ˈfeɪ vər ɪt, ˈfeɪv rɪt /

especially British, favourite

noun

• favorites
  plural

1. 

   a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference.

   That song is an old favorite of mine.

2. Sports. a competitor considered likely to win.

3. a person or thing popular with the public.

4. a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc..

   favorites at the court.

5. Digital Technology. bookmark.

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adjective

1. regarded with particular favor or preference.

   a favorite child.

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

• nonfavorite
  noun
• prefavorite
  noun
• unfavorite
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• favorites
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

favorite favorites

One of the world's most popular fan fiction libraries has been dark for over a week after a cyberattack forced it offline, leaving millions of fans without access to their favorite stories.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

Donald has played in six games for a team that opened the season as the Super Bowl favorite but is 4-4 after its win over the Chargers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

I only hope that they can get to a deal quickly so I can hear my favorite words: “Play ball!”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Here’s one of my favorite things to do with them.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

“I remember the time you dropped my favorite doll into the sewer and then ran to my room and said, ‘Yo, Sasha’s dead.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Many obliged, joining their leader to shimmy to Selena and other SoCal favorites.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

They’re actually narrow favorites to do so, according to election forecasters.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

The daughter, with counsel from Gemeda, chose her own shoes—with squishier soles than her dad’s favorites.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

That includes younger viewers who weren’t alive for a series’ original run and longtime fans who want to immerse themselves in old favorites all over again.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2026

Jamie makes a playlist of Billie Holiday and The Velvet Underground—one of my favorites and one of his favorites.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

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Related Words

• beloved
• cherished
• favored
• main
• popular
• prized
• treasured

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