favorite
Americannoun
-
favorites
plural
-
a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference.
That song is an old favorite of mine.
-
Sports. a competitor considered likely to win.
-
a person or thing popular with the public.
-
a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc..
favorites at the court.
-
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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Crittercam to the Rescue"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"I Remember"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
To celebrate Slate’s 30th anniversary, Dahlia revisited the theory with longtime Slate favorite June Thomas for a special Plus-only episode of Amicus.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The issue is a favorite topic on social media.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The Aerosmith frontman explained that the city’s passion for his favorite industry pulled him in.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Great Writers” paints portraits of the mewling kittens, dexterous mousers and lazy lap cats who happen to have witnessed the birth of some of humanity’s favorite texts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
And our favorite, the man we called The Bulldog.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
It was all the yardage the Bills required to set up the 45-yard-field goal that capped off the game of the season between two Super Bowl favorites.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
The denim maker is releasing updated designs that channel vintage favorites, like the 517 jeans featured in the hit show “Love Story.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
I’ll be sharing some of my favorites over the coming weeks, but a pot of soup in the fridge can quietly carry several lunches without asking much of you.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
In April, the series returned for a four-episode reunion arc on Hulu starring returning fan favorites Bryan Cranston as Hal, Jane Kaczmarek as Lois and a couple of Malcolm’s TV siblings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
The episodes where the contestants had to make “dessert impostors”—desserts that looked like savory foods—were always my favorites.
From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
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.
