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

Once snow and ice set in, a lot of locals would rather sit tight than risk a drive that leaves very little room for mistakes. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 24 Jan. 2026

Trump’s popularity may wane and his friends and allies be tarred by their association with a figure most of the country would rather forget. —Walter Russell Mead, The Atlantic, 24 Jan. 2026

The Rangers would rather not talk about that. —Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 22 Jan. 2026

The Lords of Algorithm would rather have the function of writing performed by ChatGPT-3 and the art rendered by DALL-E, the rest of us will still have to draft emails and fill out forms. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for would rather

• gather
• lather