favorite son

American  

noun

U.S. Politics.

1. (at a national political convention) a candidate nominated for office by delegates from the candidate's own state.

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favorite son British  

noun

1. (in the US) a politician popular in his home state but little admired beyond it

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favorite son Cultural  

1. A political figure nominated for the presidency by his or her state's delegation to the national nominating convention of a major party. Favorite sons are rarely serious candidates for the party's nomination. By nominating a favorite son, the delegation honors its nominee while delaying its commitment until the more serious contenders for the nomination can be sorted out.

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favorite son Idioms  

1. A person valued by his or her hometown or organization for his or her achievements, usually political, as in Mary hoped they would treat her as a favorite son and nominate her for state senator. This term was originally employed for a candidate nominated for office by his own locality. Today this usage may ignore gender, as in the example. [c. 1780]

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Etymology

Origin of favorite son

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

Many gamers complained they couldn’t play their favorite games on those PCs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

"Whether you're at home or on the go, your favorite games should follow you," said Xbox head of gaming devices Roanne Sones.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2025

Sure, NFL watchers are no strangers to flipping through channels—and, yes, streaming services—to find their favorite games.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2024

Another example would be one of my favorite games of all time, “Grand Theft Auto.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 26, 2023

It was one of Aech’s favorite games, and for a while he’d had a Joust cabinet in his chat room.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• applicant
• aspirant
• bidder
• competitor
• contender
• contestant
• nominee
• successor