favor

1 of 2

noun

fa·​vor ˈfā-vər How to pronounce favor (audio)
1
a(1)
: friendly regard shown toward another especially by a superior
a politician attempting to keep the favor of the voters
(2)
: approving consideration or attention : approbation
looked with favor on the enterprise
b
: partiality
The students naturally showed favor toward their own team.
c
archaic : leniency
d
archaic : permission
e
: popularity
The fad lost favor quickly.
2
archaic
b(1)
: face
(2)
: a facial feature
3
a
: gracious kindness
also : an act of such kindness
did you a favor
b
archaic : aid, assistance
c
favors plural : effort in one's behalf or interest : attention
vying for the king's favor
4
a
: a token of love (such as a ribbon) usually worn conspicuously
b
: a small gift or decorative item given out at a party
c
: badge
5
a
: a special privilege or right granted or conceded
granted a favor to a dear friend
b
: sexual privileges
usually used in plural
6
archaic : letter
7
: behalf, interest
a man who acts only in his own favor

favor

2 of 2

verb

favored; favoring ˈfā-v(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce favor (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to regard or treat with favor
b(1)
: to do a kindness for : oblige
(2)
: endow
c
: to treat gently or carefully
favored her injured leg
2
: to show partiality toward : prefer
3
a
: to give support or confirmation to : sustain
b
: to afford advantages for success to : facilitate
good weather favored the outing
4
: to bear a resemblance to
he favors his father
favorer noun
Phrases
in favor of
1
a
: in accord or sympathy with
b
: to the benefit of : in support of
a verdict in favor of the accused
2
: to the order of
3
: in order to choose : out of preference for
turned down the scholarship in favor of a pro career
in one's favor
1
: in one's good graces
wanted to get back in the teacher's favor
2
: to one's advantage
The judge ruled in our favor.
out of favor
: unpopular, disliked
Her ideas are now out of favor.

Examples of favor in a Sentence

Noun I drove her to the airport because I owed her a favor. She's willing to help you but only as a favor to me. Don't do me any favors. I don't need your help. I've learned to be grateful for small favors. He's trying to earn the boss's favor by working late. The judge showed favor for the defendant. The students naturally showed favor toward their own school's team. Small boxes of candy were given out as favors at the wedding. Verb The teacher clearly favors you. Most voters favor these tax cuts. Her father favored the idea of her going to law school. They won the championship last year, and most forecasters favor them to win again this year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
With that in mind, these best walleye lures should help up the odds of a full livewell in your favor this season. David A. Rose, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2024 Nearly four years ago, the staff at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix was hounded by former President Donald Trump's supporters, who pushed his false claims that votes in his favor were not counted. Averi Harper, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 And whatever Putin’s efforts to spin things in his favor, Russia’s longer-term problems – demographic decline, the cost of war and sanctions, and the inherent brittleness of one-man rule – are not likely to disappear before Putin stands for a sixth term in office. Nathan Hodge, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 But Freed said the decision was clearly in his favor. Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 The group responded that the state has a responsibility to protect the beach and that the residents are doing the community a favor by funding the project. Michael Casey, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Mar. 2024 Happy Birthday: Get in the groove and make situations work in your favor. Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 14 Mar. 2024 Navarro can still ask the Supreme Court to rule in his favor, but such an intervention would be extremely unusual. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 With no marketing or publicity budget, co-owner Pedro Cavaliere, 30, attributes the cafe’s initial success to a decade of banked favors. Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
Verb
Other legal experts noted that companies are legally allowed to favor their own products and services, so the government will have to explain why that is a problem with Apple. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 22 Mar. 2024 Though both incumbents are favored to win reelection in November, Levin’s district in Orange and San Diego counties is almost evenly divided among Democratic and Republican voters, and Harder faces a challenge from Stockton’s Republican mayor, Kevin Lincoln, in his Central Valley district. Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024 The preference for in-person work is particularly notable among the newest generation in the workforce, with over 74% of Gen Zers favoring face-to-face interactions, according to an Accenture report. Ebony Flake, Essence, 21 Mar. 2024 Federal officials said the rule doesn’t favor electric vehicles over other types of vehicles, and will reduce nearly as much pollution as the original proposal — more than 7 billion metric tons of planet-warming emissions, along with other pollution that is detrimental to human health. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 There’s a strong tendency in the unexpected pregnancy subgenre to favor a surprise twist decision, however the character has initially been portrayed, to proceed with the pregnancy. Catherine Bray, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Houston, Purdue and Connecticut are locks for the top line, with North Carolina favored for the final No. 1 seed after losses this weekend by contenders Tennessee and Arizona. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 In a separate antitrust action against Google, the EU filed the company €2.42 billion ($2.64 billion) for favoring its own price comparison shopping service over smaller European rivals. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024 Correction March 8, 2024 An earlier version of this story mistakenly said Republicans are favored to flip control of the House. Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'favor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin, from favēre to be favorable; perhaps akin to Old High German gouma attention, Old Church Slavonic gověti to revere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of favor was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near favor

Cite this Entry

“Favor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/favor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

favor

1 of 2 noun
fa·​vor ˈfā-vər How to pronounce favor (audio)
1
a
: friendly regard shown toward another
enjoyed the favor of the king
b
: approval
look with favor on a project
c
: partiality sense 1, preference
the judge showed favor to one side
d
: the quality or state of being popular
lose favor
2
: an act of kindness
do a friend a favor
3
: a small gift given out at a party

favor

2 of 2 verb
favored; favoring ˈfāv-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce favor (audio)
1
a
: to look upon or treat with favor
b
: to do a kindness for : oblige
c
: to treat gently or carefully : spare
favor a sore leg
2
3
: to make possible or easy : help to succeed
darkness favored the attack
4
: to look like : resemble
favors his mother
favorer noun

Legal Definition

favor

noun
fa·​vor
1
: bias
2

More from Merriam-Webster on favor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!