prefer

American  

[pri-fur] / prɪˈfɜr /

verb (used with object)

• prefers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preferred,
  past participle,  past
• preferring
  present participle

1. to set or hold before or above other persons or things in estimation; like better; choose rather than.

   to prefer beef to chicken.

   Synonyms:

   fancy, favor

   Antonyms:

   reject

2. Law. to give priority, as to one creditor over another.

3. to put forward or present (a statement, suit, charge, etc.) for consideration or sanction.

   Synonyms:

   tender, proffer, offer

   Antonyms:

   retract

4. to put forward or advance, as in rank or office; promote.

   to be preferred for advancement.

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verb (used without object)

• prefers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• preferred,
  past participle,  past
• preferring
  present participle

1. to wish or feel inclined.

   For this stir-fry you can skip the cashews if you prefer.

prefer British  

/ prɪˈfɜː /

verb

1. (when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to like better or value more highly

   I prefer to stand

2. law to give preference, esp to one creditor over others

3. (esp of the police) to put (charges) before a court, judge, magistrate, etc, for consideration and judgment

4. (tr; often passive) to advance in rank over another or others; promote

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Usage

Normally, to is used after prefer and preferable, not than: I prefer Brahms to Tchaikovsky; a small income is preferable to no income at all . However, than or rather than should be used to link infinitives: I prefer to walk than/rather than to catch the train

Synonym Usage

See choose.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preferredness
  noun
• preferrer
  noun
• unpreferred
  adjective
• preferredly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• preferring
  present
• preferred
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prefer
  simple
• prefers
  simple
• have preferred
  perfect
• has preferred
  perfect
• am preferring
  progressive
• are preferring
  progressive
• is preferring
  progressive
• have been preferring
  perfect progressive
• has been preferring
  perfect progressive

Past

• preferred
  simple
• had preferred
  perfect
• was preferring
  progressive
• were preferring
  progressive
• had been preferring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prefer
  simple
• will have preferred
  perfect
• will be preferring
  progressive
• will have been preferring
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of prefer

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English preferren, prefer(re), from Anglo-French, Old French preferer, from Latin praeferre “to bear before, set before, prefer,” equivalent to prae- pre- + ferre to bear ¹

Explanation

Prefer means to like better. If your parents prefer your sister to you, chances are her allowance will be higher and you'll get blamed for things she's done. If someone offers you hamburgers and hot dogs, it's more polite to say, "I'd prefer a hot dog," than "Blech, hamburgers. Gag me!" Note that prefer means not just to like, but to like better––you're comparing two or more things. Whether it be chocolate ice cream over other flavors, or getting going first thing in the morning as opposed to lounging in your PJs, what you prefer is called your preference. And if you like them all the same, you can say you have no preference

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prefer prefers preferred preferring

The buzz has propelled sales and fueled profit growth at Onitsuka Tiger owner Asics, a Japanese footwear company whose shoes are popular with both serious runners and those who prefer comfortable “dad sneakers.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Sister Schubert’s learned the harder lesson: once invented, we would prefer that you not take it away.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

Ocean temperatures have exceeded 82 degrees off Baja, sending juvenile white sharks, who prefer waters between 67 and 73 degrees, north toward California, Lowe said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Or, if you prefer softer spuds, Danny also has a genius tip for leveling up your potato salad.

From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026

So a composer may very well prefer to write an E sharp, because that makes the note's place in the harmonies of a piece more clear to the performer.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Vinny, short for Vincent van Gogh, gets nervous and prefers shorter, quieter walks, and Macaroni, named after Fleetwood Mac, makes the stroller a tight squeeze for two cats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Public-facing workers - including waiters, shop assistants and doctors - must address customers or patients initially in Ukrainian, though they can later switch to Russian if the client prefers that.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

“I’m a joyful person,” Boyagoda said in an interview, though he prefers to see his outlook on academia as “hopeful” rather than optimistic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

The market-intelligence team there likes going long the Nasdaq-100 and short the Russell 2000 and prefers the “Magnificent Seven”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Lourdes prefers to confront reality—the brownstones converted to tenements in a matter of months, the garbage in the streets, the jaundice-eyed men staring vacantly from the stoops.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

But the issue of where the fight takes place has caused a delay in an official announcement with organisers pushing to stage it in the US rather than Joshua's preferred location of Wembley Stadium.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Treasurys have been another preferred asset class for central banks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 6, 2026

Texas has regulations favorable to autonomous vehicles, making it one of the preferred testing grounds for many such services already in operation, such as Waymo and Zoox, or in trials, such as Motional.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Organizers are open about prioritizing Metro and cycling as preferred ways to arrive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

He had seen Hila do it plenty, knew all the steps for her preferred readings, but beyond that, the ring was a giant unknown.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Unlike other relatives of the missing, Prajval does not plan to travel to the region at this stage, preferring to "stay contactable".

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

Mladić struggled to come to terms with her suicide, preferring wild conspiracy theories which blamed the tragedy on everyone but himself.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

Yet the journalist appears reluctant to focus on the pressures he's under, preferring instead to highlight the plight of compatriots in prison.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

And he said he did not have any conversations with Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris about preferring to be traded to the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

So how can anyone who likes green sourballs criticize me for preferring a nice penny loafer or a bedroom slipper?

From "Bunnicula" by Deborah Howe and James Howe

Related Words

• adopt
• choose
• go for
• pick
• promote
• put
• select
• suggest
• wish