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
Fried would rather keep specifics private, but the soft contact, groundball specialist did briefly discuss there being more room for strikeouts in his game on Saturday.
—
Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2025
Take a poll on which QB the NFL’s defensive coordinators would rather not play.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025
Alcohol industry leaders would rather let the old guidance stand.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
Richard Teng would rather not be compared with Changpeng Zhao, his predecessor as chief executive at crypto exchange Binance.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2025
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Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2025
Take a poll on which QB the NFL’s defensive coordinators would rather not play.
—Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2025
Alcohol industry leaders would rather let the old guidance stand.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
Richard Teng would rather not be compared with Changpeng Zhao, his predecessor as chief executive at crypto exchange Binance.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 12 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for would rather
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Cite this Entry
“Would rather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would%20rather. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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