preference
Americannoun
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the act of preferring.
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the state of being preferred.
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that which is preferred; choice.
His preference is vanilla, not chocolate.
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a practical advantage given to one over others.
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a prior right or claim, as to payment of dividends or to assets upon dissolution.
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the favoring of one country or group of countries by granting special advantages over others in international trade.
noun
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the act of preferring
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something or someone preferred
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law
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the settling of the claims of one or more creditors before or to the exclusion of those of the others
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a prior right to payment, as of a dividend or share in the assets of a company in the event of liquidation
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commerce the granting of favour or precedence to particular foreign countries, as by levying differential tariffs
Related Words
See choice.
Other Word Forms
- nonpreference noun
- self-preference noun
Etymology
Origin of preference
From the Medieval Latin word praeferentia, dating back to 1595–1605. See prefer, -ence
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.
Critics argue that these moves reflect more than aesthetic preference.
From Salon
The swarms can send people messages tailored to their individual preferences and to the context of their online conversations.
From Salon
People's aesthetic preferences inevitably evolve, requiring upgrades in technology and branding, he said.
From Barron's
Our AI-powered marketing platforms allow advertisers to better understand their audiences’ preferences.
From Barron's
Paramount’s hostile takeover bypasses management entirely, appealing directly to investors and potentially putting shareholders’ preferences at odds with the board’s preferred transaction.
From MarketWatch
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.
