defer to
phrasal verb
deferred to; deferring to; defers to
1
: to allow (someone else) to decide or choose something
You have more experience with this, so I'm going to defer to you.
deferring to the experts
2
defer to (something)
: to agree to follow (someone else's decision, a tradition, etc.)
The court defers to precedent in cases like these.
He deferred to his parents' wishes.
Examples of defer to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Biden White House also deferred to that custom, which is why Biden never ended up nominating Meredith.
—
Arkansas Online, 20 June 2025
For inquiries about the status of student visa holders in the U.S., the State Department defers to the Department of Homeland Security.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 19 June 2025
While some Republicans have expressed concern, most have deferred to the president.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Reached for comment, an Amazon spokesperson deferred to the original memo.
—Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for defer to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Arkansas Online, 20 June 2025
For inquiries about the status of student visa holders in the U.S., the State Department defers to the Department of Homeland Security.
—Justin Williams, New York Times, 19 June 2025
While some Republicans have expressed concern, most have deferred to the president.
—Amanda Castro
shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
Reached for comment, an Amazon spokesperson deferred to the original memo.
—Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 25 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share