would rather
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On the Treasury curve, I would rather lend Uncle Sam money for two years than 30.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
“And viewers obviously would rather watch a couple of five-minute clips than a whole show.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
"It's clearly not good," one cabinet ally who would rather this was not happening acknowledged.
From BBC • May 12, 2026
Demand for that degree tends to be countercyclical, which means when the job market is good, people would rather stay in it and make money.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
“Oh! you would rather talk of her person than her mind, would you? Very well; I shall not attempt to deny Emma’s being pretty.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
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.
