favor

[ fey-ver ]

/ ˈfeɪ vər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: favor / favored / favoring on Thesaurus.com

noun

something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor.

friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win the favor of the king.

the state of being approved or held in regard: to be in favor at court; styles that are now in favor.

excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment: to treat some people with favor and others with neglect.

a gift bestowed as a token of goodwill, kind regard, love, etc., as formerly upon a knight by his lady.

a ribbon, badge, etc., worn in evidence of goodwill or loyalty, as by an adherent of a political party.

a small gift or decorative or festive item, as a noisemaker or paper hat, often distributed to guests at a party.

Usually favors. sexual intimacy, especially as permitted by a woman.

Archaic. a letter, especially a commercial one.

verb (used with object)

to regard with favor: to favor an enterprise.

to prefer; treat with partiality: The father favored his younger son.

to show favor to; oblige: The king favored him with an audience.

to be favorable to; facilitate: The wind favored their journey.

to deal with, treat, or use gently: to favor a lame leg.

to aid or support: He favored his party's cause with ample funds.

to bear a physical resemblance to; resemble: to favor one's father's side of the family.

SYNONYMS FOR favor

5 present.

10 approve, countenance, sanction.

12 encourage, patronize.

15 help, assist.

See synonyms for favor on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR favor

2 animosity, malice.

10 disapprove.

See antonyms for favor on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for favor

find favor with, to gain the favor of; be liked by: The play found favor with the opening-night audience.

in favor of,

on the side of; in support of: to be in favor of reduced taxation.
to the advantage of.
(of a check, draft, etc.) payable to: Make out your checks in favor of the corporation.

in one's favor, to one's credit or advantage: All the comments were in your favor.

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.

Also especially British, fa·vour .

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- -or¹

synonym study for favor

2. 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 WORDS FROM favor

fa·vor·er, nouno·ver·fa·vor, verb (used with object)pre·fa·vor, noun, verb (used with object)un·fa·vor·ing, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for favor

In August, Gloria voted in favor of a state bill that aims to give workers notice about coronavirus outbreaks in the workplace, but a key requirement to make those worksite outbreaks public was stripped out of the final draft, CalMatters reported.
County Officials Dig in to Keep COVID-19 Info Private|Sara Libby and Jared Whitlock|November 19, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The timing of the ungrounding may work in airlines’ favor, he said.
FAA lifts ban on Boeing 737 Max after crashes in 2018 and 2019 grounded the jet|Michael Laris, Lori Aratani, Ian Duncan|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
According to Bloomberg, though, McDonald’s decided to forego a partnership with Beyond Meat in favor of creating its own plant-based products.
McDonald’s Is Making a Plant-Based Burger; You Can Try It in 2021|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|November 18, 2020|Singularity Hub
Doorae Shin, coordinator for the local Surfrider Foundation, said she’s concerned that the approval sets a “dangerous precedent” for the expansion of many old seawalls, noting similar arguments could be made in their favor.
Oceanfront Property Tied to Obama Granted Exemption From Hawaii’s Environmental Laws|by Sophie Cocke, Honolulu Star-Advertiser|November 18, 2020|ProPublica

Both were written in favor of the oil and gas industries, for which Bernhardt is a lobbyist, at the expense of the American people.
DOI Harms Environmental Protections Until the End|Wes Siler|November 17, 2020|Outside Online
Garrett is currently at only 48 percent and this is a year favoring Republicans nationwide.
Red Sweep? Maybe, but One Tea Party Incumbent Is in Trouble|Dean Obeidallah|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mitchell and others favoring charters pushed for North Carolina lawmakers to follow suit.
At This Creepy Libertarian Charter School, Kids Must Swear ‘to Be Obedient to Those in Authority’|ProPublica|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead, we see a host of issues of concern, most favoring Democrats.
Biggest Midterm Issue? The Obamaphant in the Living Room|Dean Obeidallah|September 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Crimea was the only odd region out, with respondents overwhelmingly favoring ts integration into Russia.
Ukraine’s Fighting Words|Igor Kossov|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Percent favoring “guaranteed issue” of coverage to people who are already sick: 69.
Obamacare Crosses the Finish Line|Michael Tomasky|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If I succeed, in favoring conditions, in forming a new party, I may end as a boss myself!
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The priests of Egypt ruled by appealing to the fears of men, thus favoring a degrading superstition.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I|John Lord
I shall become a great emir,—vizier perhaps—no—I will better that; what may not a good sword hope with favoring start?
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
Upon the favoring breeze, the sound of our drums at evening parade came floating to their ears.
"Shiloh" as Seen by a Private Soldier|Warren Olney
The royal revenues suffered greatly by this illicit trade, and the royal agents accused the colonists of openly favoring it.
A short history of Rhode Island|George Washington Greene

Idioms and Phrases with favor

favor

see curry favor; in favor of; in favor with; in one's favor; out of favor; return the compliment (favor).

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

favor