How to Use would rather in a Sentence

would rather

idiom
  • If the Snakes would rather use Pham as a full-timer, so be it.
    Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Mewis would rather be playing in this World Cup, of course.
    Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 12 July 2023
  • Part of her would rather not give people the grounds to decide.
    Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2023
  • But Democrats would rather not leave anything to chance.
    Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 19 July 2024
  • Some will want to put in that work and others would rather just open the camera and snap away.
    PCMAG, 27 Sep. 2024
  • There are board games in Danielle’s office, but Lily would rather rest.
    Allegra Goodman, The New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2024
  • Reeves: The people who are paying you for your art would rather not pay you.
    Wired Staff, WIRED, 30 Dec. 2023
  • Rachel Bloom would rather be singing about trees that smell like semen.
    Vulture, 14 Sep. 2023
  • And stigma is one of the reasons that people would rather die and ask for help.
    Christina McDermott, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2023
  • The Cold War model is something the region would rather avoid.
    Eduardo Porter, Washington Post, 20 June 2024
  • Bryson is more in the pocket and would rather operate from there.
    Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023
  • When the weather gets hot, some of the kids would rather stay home and play video games or be on social media.
    Steve Brand, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2023
  • Any team starting from scratch would rather have Curry.
    Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 12 May 2024
  • This emotional water sign would rather have their head in the clouds than their feet placed firmly down on the ground.
    Brittany Beringer, Women's Health, 12 Aug. 2023
  • But, according to the San Diego Zoo, most tarantulas would rather hide from you than bite you.
    Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 29 Feb. 2024
  • Yang would rather have crowds think of her as a comedian who cares about the world and, perhaps, reach more folks that way.
    Jake Kroeger, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2023
  • If this isn’t enough to draw you to a second remaster and would rather stick to an older look and feel, the 2016 version is there.
    Diego Argüello, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2024
  • There is nothing the justices would rather avoid, and their decisions this ...
    Dan McLaughlin, National Review, 8 Oct. 2024
  • Crockett would rather be shirtless and shoeless on his boat.
    Fawnia Soo Hoo, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2024
  • If one person wants to go to bed at 9 p.m. and their partner would rather turn in at 1 a.m., there’s nothing wrong with either of them.
    Angela Haupt, TIME, 11 June 2024
  • Many young people lose time in their cellphones or tablets, but Erik would rather write scripts or present theater plays.
    Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024
  • But some area residents say the project is about race, and that's a topic that many in Harrison would rather avoid.
    Bill Bowden, arkansasonline.com, 3 Dec. 2023
  • Rodrigo would rather be seen as a singer-songwriter than a pop star.
    Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023
  • But insurance companies would rather not have to deal with the mass lawsuits at all.
    Eli Tan, Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2023
  • There is the local public pool, but sometimes kids would rather just run around in the water somewhere other than the hose at home.
    Blaine Callahan, Hartford Courant, 18 June 2024
  • Back inside the boat, the galley-down arrangement may not be too thrilling to those who would rather cook on the main deck with everyone else.
    Howard Walker, Robb Report, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Depending on the poll, anywhere between 40% and 51% of people in the U.S. would rather have a socialist world.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 23 June 2023
  • There’s not as big of a demand for butchery; people today would rather have their meat pre-sliced and packaged.
    Clarissa Wei, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
  • For people who would rather give food, kennels, litter, et cetera, the shelter has set up a wish list on Amazon.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2023
  • In fact, probably a lot of oyster lovers out there would rather just get a dozen at a restaurant than try their hand at shucking.
    Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 5 Aug. 2024

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

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