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
Indeed, our data suggest that successful allies engage with social change while deferring to activists and taking a backseat in leadership roles.
—
Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
After spending the last six years of her career deferring to managers, promoters and executives at various labels, Sanderson is back to doing all of work for herself.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
Although the Court today expresses no view on whether Texas's law is constitutional, and instead defers to a lower court's management of its docket, the Court of Appeals abused its discretion by entering an unreasoned and indefinite administrative stay that altered the status quo.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Epstein, according to the report, was accused by other doctors of pressuring them to change diagnoses and defer to his wishes over several years.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024
Fuge suggested the shortfall might be smaller, deferring to an environmental group’s lower projection.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 22 Feb. 2024
The outbreak made headlines after Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued a letter that deferred to parents on whether to send unvaccinated children to school, directly contradicting CDC guidance that recommends unvaccinated children be excluded from school for 21 days after exposure.
—Mira Cheng, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
The bride is deferring to her father and stepmother, who are paying for most of the wedding.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024
In response to queries from KFF Health News, Broward County's health department deferred to Florida's state health department, which Ladapo oversees.
—Amy Maxmen, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2024
Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
After spending the last six years of her career deferring to managers, promoters and executives at various labels, Sanderson is back to doing all of work for herself.
—Stephen Daw, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
Although the Court today expresses no view on whether Texas's law is constitutional, and instead defers to a lower court's management of its docket, the Court of Appeals abused its discretion by entering an unreasoned and indefinite administrative stay that altered the status quo.
—Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024
Epstein, according to the report, was accused by other doctors of pressuring them to change diagnoses and defer to his wishes over several years.
—Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 24 Feb. 2024
Fuge suggested the shortfall might be smaller, deferring to an environmental group’s lower projection.
—Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 22 Feb. 2024
The outbreak made headlines after Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo issued a letter that deferred to parents on whether to send unvaccinated children to school, directly contradicting CDC guidance that recommends unvaccinated children be excluded from school for 21 days after exposure.
—Mira Cheng, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
The bride is deferring to her father and stepmother, who are paying for most of the wedding.
—Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024
In response to queries from KFF Health News, Broward County's health department deferred to Florida's state health department, which Ladapo oversees.
—Amy Maxmen, CBS News, 23 Feb. 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 23 Apr. 2024.
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