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
Seafarers and union inspectors told USA TODAY about captains cutting corners to save time, maintenance deferred to save money and problems covered up to save face.
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USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
Loper Bright overruled the Supreme Court’s 1984 ruling in Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which held that courts were obligated to defer to agency interpretation when a statute was ambiguous and when the accompanying agency interpretation was reasonable or permissible.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2024
Moreover, the court was inclined to defer to the PGA Tour’s interpretation and application of its own rules in suspending the players.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
The investigation shows that federal regulators haven’t protected the public from gift card fraud, and Congress has largely deferred to regulators.
—Dr. David P. Weber, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defer to 
USA TODAY, 25 Sep. 2024
Loper Bright overruled the Supreme Court’s 1984 ruling in Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which held that courts were obligated to defer to agency interpretation when a statute was ambiguous and when the accompanying agency interpretation was reasonable or permissible.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Sep. 2024
Moreover, the court was inclined to defer to the PGA Tour’s interpretation and application of its own rules in suspending the players.
—Chris Deubert, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
The investigation shows that federal regulators haven’t protected the public from gift card fraud, and Congress has largely deferred to regulators.
—Dr. David P. Weber, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defer to
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 22 Oct. 2024.
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