favour
Americannoun
noun
-
an approving attitude; good will
-
an act performed out of good will, generosity, or mercy
-
prejudice and partiality; favouritism
-
a condition of being regarded with approval or good will (esp in the phrases in favour , out of favour )
-
archaic leave; permission
-
a token of love, goodwill, etc
-
a small gift or toy given to a guest at a party
-
history a badge or ribbon worn or given to indicate loyalty, often bestowed on a knight by a lady
-
obsolete a communication, esp a business letter
-
archaic appearance
-
to be approved of by someone
-
-
approving
-
to the benefit of
-
(of a cheque, etc) made out to
-
in order to show preference for
I rejected him in favour of George
-
verb
-
to regard with especial kindness or approval
-
to treat with partiality or favouritism
-
to support; advocate
-
to perform a favour for; oblige
-
to help; facilitate
-
informal to resemble
he favours his father
-
to wear habitually
she favours red
-
to treat gingerly or with tenderness; spare
a footballer favouring an injured leg
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of favour
C14: from Latin, from favēre to protect
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.
Grealish is trying to rebuild his career at Everton, having fallen out of favour at City despite costing the club £100m in 2021.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
She said: "What matters most to us is better support for the health and education systems. We are against compulsory military service and we are in favour of a fairer distribution of the burden."
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
But "the economics are moving in favour of wind", said Tristan Bellingham, technical programme lead at nonprofit EnergyLab Asia.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
Director of football Jason Wilcox is thought to favour the 48-year-old, with director of recruitment Christopher Vivell preferring former Bayern Munich and Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
And these are the men who have been granted a state either because they have money, or because they enjoy the favour of him who grants it.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
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.
