defer to
phrasal verb
deferred to; deferring to; defers to
1
: to allow (someone else) to decide or choose something
You have more experience with this, so I'm going to defer to you.
deferring to the experts
2
defer to (something)
: to agree to follow (someone else's decision, a tradition, etc.)
The court defers to precedent in cases like these.
He deferred to his parents' wishes.
Examples of defer to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For residents who were convicted out of state, Florida defers to that state's disenfranchisement guidelines.
—
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024
The state prison system deferred to the Office of the Attorney General and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for an update on Creech, including the possibility of another death warrant.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
Even King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 88, routinely defers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who on May 20 delayed a foreign trip as the monarch’s health took a turn.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 23 May 2024
After warnings to leave, campus safety officials deferred to the Hanover Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, and other local agencies.
—Vimal Patel, New York Times, 13 May 2024
Law in Delaware, where Paramount is incorporated, largely defers to controlling shareholders’ ability to assess deals.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024
Rubenstein deferred to Elias when asked about payroll during a forum in late March.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2024
Someone else got the role but, after a couple of days of rehearsals, producers wanted him back and deferred to the original contract.
—Scarlett Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
One concerns the Chevron doctrine, which requires courts to defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 16 May 2024
Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024
The state prison system deferred to the Office of the Attorney General and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for an update on Creech, including the possibility of another death warrant.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
Even King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 88, routinely defers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who on May 20 delayed a foreign trip as the monarch’s health took a turn.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 23 May 2024
After warnings to leave, campus safety officials deferred to the Hanover Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, and other local agencies.
—Vimal Patel, New York Times, 13 May 2024
Law in Delaware, where Paramount is incorporated, largely defers to controlling shareholders’ ability to assess deals.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 May 2024
Rubenstein deferred to Elias when asked about payroll during a forum in late March.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Apr. 2024
Someone else got the role but, after a couple of days of rehearsals, producers wanted him back and deferred to the original contract.
—Scarlett Harris, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2024
One concerns the Chevron doctrine, which requires courts to defer to agencies’ reasonable interpretations of ambiguous statutes.
—Adam Liptak, New York Times, 16 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defer to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
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