would rather

idiom

—used to indicate what one wants or prefers to do, have, etc.

She would rather drive than take the train.

I would rather you didn't tell them.

"If you'd rather, we can go outside." "No, thanks—I'd rather not."

Which beach would you rather go to?

Examples of would rather in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Stars would rather have a healthy Seguin back than make a trade. —Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026

There were customers who would rather drive to another community to shop than deal with the bag situation at his store. —Gloria Casas, Chicago Tribune, 26 Feb. 2026

In a country finally moving toward a less adversarial approach to its land, the fence is increasingly controversial; the remnant of an era when Australia would rather go to war with its wildlife than try to live alongside it. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 25 Feb. 2026

Bose would rather float in the sky-ocean than get down to the nitty-gritty. —Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for would rather

• gather
• lather