prefer
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prefers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preferred,
past participle, past
-
preferring
present participle
-
to set or hold before or above other persons or things in estimation; like better; choose rather than.
to prefer beef to chicken.
- Antonyms:
- reject
-
Law. to give priority, as to one creditor over another.
-
to put forward or present (a statement, suit, charge, etc.) for consideration or sanction.
- Antonyms:
- retract
-
to put forward or advance, as in rank or office; promote.
to be preferred for advancement.
verb (used without object)
-
prefers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
preferred,
past participle, past
-
preferring
present participle
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to like better or value more highly
I prefer to stand
-
law to give preference, esp to one creditor over others
-
(esp of the police) to put (charges) before a court, judge, magistrate, etc, for consideration and judgment
-
(tr; often passive) to advance in rank over another or others; promote
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
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prefersimple
-
preferssimple
-
have preferredperfect
-
has preferredperfect
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am preferringprogressive
-
are preferringprogressive
-
is preferringprogressive
-
have been preferringperfect progressive
-
has been preferringperfect progressive
Past
-
preferredsimple
-
had preferredperfect
-
was preferringprogressive
-
were preferringprogressive
-
had been preferringperfect progressive
Future
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
Vocabulary lists containing prefer
The Secret Life of Bees
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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The Circuit
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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:
Others prefer shorter sessions spread throughout the week.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Near term, they prefer shorter duration bonds and are staying overweight cash, such as short-term Treasury bills.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
"Even though I can go to Boots even in my area....Superdrug is like closest to me. So, I'll prefer the convenience," she says.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Though Charles would prefer to, they don’t feed on people because, says Liz, “it’s not nice.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
“According to this book, you prefer living in snow caves.”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
At the same time, she prefers that you both keep working, while you’re close to making the leap into retirement.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
Michael Szklarski, co-founder of videogaming startup ReadyM, who waited in line for Claude Founder House on Wednesday, said his company often needs the most cutting-edge models and prefers Anthropic’s Fable 5.1 model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“The only person I will cold call is my mom because I know she prefers it and will always answer the phone.”
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
Within the waters that surround Malibu Pier a hammerhead shark, which typically prefers warmer waters than those found in Southern California, was spotted making a few circles in the ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
“She prefers it to chicken soup these days. Dad hasn’t figured that out yet, so I’m the supplier.”
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
A relatively small carnivore might have regarded a human as worthwhile prey, whereas an enormous hunter such as T. rex may have preferred much larger animals.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026
The core personal consumption expenditures index is the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation, and the most recent data showed it measured 3% year-over-year for August.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
The Rose Café became my preferred meeting place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
When the BBC attempted to speak to Rustom about Tice's case, he said he "preferred to focus on matters of the future".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
One of the reasons he did not mind if original holders of government securities sold out to speculators was that he preferred to see the money in fewer hands.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Whether or not Misty Green leads to even bigger things, Eleazar isn’t itching to move to Hollywood anytime soon, preferring to remain near her family in London.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Analysts often note that investors give the revenue-generating automotive business little attention, preferring to focus on robotaxis and other ventures.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
Adult cats, specifically, rarely meow to one another, instead preferring other vocal intonations or facial signifiers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Cook, 29, played his one Test against Zimbabwe last summer while 22-year-old Bashir is yet to feature in this series, with England preferring an all-pace attack.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Cleopatra politely refused his offer, preferring not to go ashore.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
