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
Getz wasn’t sure about the messy details and deferred to team executives Brooks Boyer and Terry Savarise.
—
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But historically, Sandweg said, the agency deferred to federal prosecutions.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The administration would defer to the courts on whether to give companies refunds for the import taxes already collected under the tariffs now declared unlawful, Bessent said.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who indicated last year that a ruling against the administration would entail refunds, also deferred to the lower courts.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defer to
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Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
But historically, Sandweg said, the agency deferred to federal prosecutions.
—Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
The administration would defer to the courts on whether to give companies refunds for the import taxes already collected under the tariffs now declared unlawful, Bessent said.
—ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who indicated last year that a ruling against the administration would entail refunds, also deferred to the lower courts.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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