1
as in liking
to show partiality toward
I generally prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
most buyers of that vehicle have preferred the model with four-wheel drive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preferring
Beren Cross, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Forest has the fewest defensive actions in the middle and attacking thirds of the pitch this season, preferring to win the ball back in its own defensive third and counterattack at speed.
—Steve Price, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Their remains have been found as far south as Bolivia in South America, the animal preferring more temperate areas over the cold.
—Joe Salas, New Atlas, 7 Apr. 2025
The local Community Board has organized against the plan, preferring to wait for the State of New York to spend $2 billion for a deck on the rail yards, even if this is a fantasy that the rest of the state will never indulge.
—Mitchell Moss, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
Solar power shows a smaller partisan gap, with Democrats preferring solar around 20 percentage points more than Republicans.
—Dilnaz Hasim, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2025
In this cultural milieu, preferring to be alone carries stigma.
—Virginia Thomas, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025
Ibrahimovic was only ever going to play in Los Angeles, and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba also chose where to play, preferring the Montreal Impact, which plays in a city that predominantly speaks French, to the Chicago Fire.
—Pablo Maurer, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Lennon usually limited his psychedelic explorations to after work hours, preferring not to trip while the Beatles were working on new music.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
In simple terms, the manager either did not fancy risking his striker’s fitness or did not fancy him full-stop, preferring Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
Forest has the fewest defensive actions in the middle and attacking thirds of the pitch this season, preferring to win the ball back in its own defensive third and counterattack at speed.
—Steve Price, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Their remains have been found as far south as Bolivia in South America, the animal preferring more temperate areas over the cold.
—Joe Salas, New Atlas, 7 Apr. 2025
The local Community Board has organized against the plan, preferring to wait for the State of New York to spend $2 billion for a deck on the rail yards, even if this is a fantasy that the rest of the state will never indulge.
—Mitchell Moss, New York Daily News, 6 Apr. 2025
Solar power shows a smaller partisan gap, with Democrats preferring solar around 20 percentage points more than Republicans.
—Dilnaz Hasim, Baltimore Sun, 5 Apr. 2025
In this cultural milieu, preferring to be alone carries stigma.
—Virginia Thomas, The Conversation, 4 Apr. 2025
Ibrahimovic was only ever going to play in Los Angeles, and Chelsea legend Didier Drogba also chose where to play, preferring the Montreal Impact, which plays in a city that predominantly speaks French, to the Chicago Fire.
—Pablo Maurer, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Lennon usually limited his psychedelic explorations to after work hours, preferring not to trip while the Beatles were working on new music.
—Jordan Runtagh, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preferring
Verb
-
After leafing through the hefty menu I am beset by option paralysis, eventually ignoring drinks called ‘Corpse Reviver’ and ‘Balls’, instead choosing ‘Leave For Milan’, which includes gin, vermouth and some sort of rhubarb foam.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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But but all sorts of institutions — from universities to law firms — have been choosing protection over principle.—
Dan Primack,
Axios,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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But mid-majors with double-digit seeds are worth enjoying on occasion.—
Joe Rexrode,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
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While enjoying a diverse customer base, budget-friendly retail has been especially popular with younger shoppers, which has helped expand the segment to more than $510 billion globally in 2022, according to Verified Market Research.—
Fred Battisti,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This takes the guesswork out of picking a winner.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Apr. 2025
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While picking his brain about the former series, Entertainment Weekly got the creator of both shows — Bruce Miller — to provide an update on the new one.—
Lauren Huff,
EW.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preferring. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.
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