favor
Americannoun
-
favors
plural
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something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act.
to ask a favor.
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friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill.
to win the favor of the king.
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the state of being approved or held in regard.
to be in favor at court; styles that are now in favor.
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excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment.
to treat some people with favor and others with neglect.
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a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love, etc., as formerly upon a knight by his lady.
- Synonyms:
- present
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a ribbon, badge, etc., worn in evidence of goodwill or loyalty, as by an adherent of a political party.
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a small gift or decorative or festive item, as a noisemaker or paper hat, often distributed to guests at a party.
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Usually favors. sexual intimacy, especially as permitted by a woman.
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Archaic. a letter, especially a commercial one.
verb (used with object)
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to regard with favor.
to favor an enterprise.
- Synonyms:
- sanction, countenance, approve
- Antonyms:
- disapprove
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to prefer; treat with partiality.
The father favored his younger son.
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to show favor to; oblige.
The king favored him with an audience.
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to be favorable to; facilitate.
The wind favored their journey.
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to deal with, treat, or use gently.
to favor a lame leg.
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to aid or support.
He favored his party's cause with ample funds.
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to bear a physical resemblance to; resemble.
to favor one's father's side of the family.
idioms
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in one's favor, to one's credit or advantage.
All the comments were in your favor.
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in favor of,
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on the side of; in support of.
to be in favor of reduced taxation.
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to the advantage of.
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(of a check, draft, etc.) payable to.
Make out your checks in favor of the corporation.
-
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find favor with, to gain the favor of; be liked by.
The play found favor with the opening-night audience.
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out of favor, no longer liked or approved; no longer popular or fashionable.
He's out of favor with the president and may soon be fired.
Synonym Usage
Favor, goodwill imply a kindly regard or friendly disposition shown by an individual or group. Favor may be merely an attitude of mind: to look with favor on a proposal. Goodwill is more active and leads often to outward manifestations of friendly approval: By frequent applause the audience showed its goodwill toward the speaker.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of favor
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English favo(u)r, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin favōr- (stem of favor ) “goodwill,” derivative of favēre “to be favorably inclined” + -ōr- -or 1
Explanation
A favor is an act of kindness, like doing your friend a favor by letting her borrow your calculator to take the big math test. Favor can be used as a noun: an advantage, like having experience in your favor when you apply for a job; a nice gesture, like giving your friend a ride to school; or a party favor, a little gift you get at a party. As a verb, favor means "like the most," like foods you favor, or "treat gently," like favoring your right leg when walking because it hurts to put weight on it.
Vocabulary lists containing favor
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
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The New SAT: The Language of the Test
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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:
We have literally and metaphorically tried to erase our actual history in favor of a mythical past that never existed — even in bad LSD trips.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
It led three officials to dissent in favor of a rate increase at the Fed’s meeting last month, and others have more recently suggested a rate increase could be the best next move.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Last month, the central bank held interest rates steady, but three regional Fed presidents dissented in favor of a rate hike.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
Blanche has taken steps to curry Murkowski’s favor in recent months, visiting Alaska and announcing a $400-million settlement benefiting Alaska natives’ healthcare in July.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Fly, at the risk of being tiresome myself, please do us a favor and be quiet. You see, Resilience, this is the problem with drones. They are so very chatty,” Guardian says.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
After a few shared meals, long conversations and traded favors, all of them became more than just the people next door — they became family.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
While Deborah favors dresses when spending time with Marty, the vibrant floral Kobi Halperin pantsuit illustrates that she is not making a play for her ex.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
"Our results show that the global ocean now favors the growth of floating macroalgae."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Nobody buys favors from an office that has no favors to sell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The idea that I had to beg Peter for favors was simply revolting.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
