would rather

phrase

—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

Of course, the Broncos would rather win a game with a bad performance than lose a game with a good performance. — Dan Zaksheske Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026

White’s journalist is a Luddite who would rather be late to his own job interview than use Google Maps. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

And for those who would rather have their own space to use as a home base, an Airbnb is your best bet. — Christina Pérez, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Inevitably, the conversation turns to the man whose name Lisa would rather not speak. — Thomas Lake, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for would rather

• gather
• lather