favorite
Americannoun
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favorites
plural
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a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference.
That song is an old favorite of mine.
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Sports. a competitor considered likely to win.
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a person or thing popular with the public.
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a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc..
favorites at the court.
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Digital Technology. bookmark.
adjective
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing favorite
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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"Crittercam to the Rescue"
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"I Remember"
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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:
He made sure cameras followed him to his father’s favorite Rio bakery Saturday where he tucked into his father’s signature sweet treat of bread slathered with condensed milk.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
The couple went to their favorite fast-food joint, Cafe Rio, because it was something they bonded over during their overseas trip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Its menu features 43 types of hot dogs, many named after famous L.A. figures, including the Drew’s News Dog, Drew Barrymore’s favorite, and the Back-to-Back Dog, dedicated to Shohei Ohtani.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Steffi Cao argues that America’s favorite new beverage reveals a lot about the vibes economy.
From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Mountain Madness. You said it was your very favorite, remember?”
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
The two agree, the scene’s adapting to keep the favorites around, just in more refined settings.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Starbucks is gearing up for a return of favorites such as pumpkin spice lattes in the fall and will begin testing sparkling beverages in a few markets, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
I also asked readers to share their own favorites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Between the Dodgers’ position in the standings, and the amount of talent they expect coming off the injured list, however, they don’t need to add Skubal to still be widely considered World Series favorites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
I opened the hymn book and played two of my favorites, “How Great Thou Art” and “In the Garden.”
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
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.
