deference
Americannoun
-
respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another.
-
respectful or courteous regard.
in deference to his wishes.
noun
-
submission to or compliance with the will, wishes, etc, of another
-
courteous regard; respect
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deference
1640–50; < French déf érence, Middle French, equivalent to defer ( er ) to defer 2 + -ence -ence
Explanation
Sure you wear ripped jeans to school every day, but you don't wear them to your grandmother's house out of deference to her. When you show deference to someone, you make a gesture of respect. The noun deference goes with the verb defer, which means "to yield to someone's opinions or wishes out of respect for that person." If you and your dad disagree about the best route to the grocery store, you might defer to him, and take his route. You're taking his route out of deference to his opinion and greater experience.
Vocabulary lists containing deference
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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ASVAB Word Knowledge
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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 4
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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.
I do think one of the ways we’ve gotten to this point is the inactivity of Congress, and part of the story here is Congress’ deference to both the judiciary and the executive.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
Over time Warsh may get that deference, but for now it’s “early days” for him, Kocherlakota said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 25, 2026
The islands’ extreme deference to animals—many of which only exist here—was codified into law in 2022 in a landmark case involving a woolly monkey named Estrellita.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
"It is the start of a test - of whether influence is better exercised through conditional engagement, parallel institutions and results-driven partnerships than through deference to an organisation that has struggled to learn from failure."
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
Chup walked toward her, lowering his head in deference to the greater size and power of the female peregrine.
From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George
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.
