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
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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.
In deference to Fielder’s wishes, this is your last chance to turn back: Major spoilers follow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
"I'd say don't be a simp," she says, using a term for someone who shows extreme deference to authority figures.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
A fiduciary that objectively and thoroughly analyzes these factors is presumed to have made reasonable judgments and gets significant deference.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
But that deference cannot come simply from invoking the words national security.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
He was standing close by and the men nearby were backed off in deference and had not heard him.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
