defer to

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

The retailer is deferring to regional managers to ramp up local selections. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 17 July 2026

By referencing the federal FMLA baseline and deferring to applicable state law for employees with greater rights, employee handbooks can absorb each new development without a revision cycle. — Jennifer Morehead, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Butch deferred to his nephew’s cinematic opinions and spoke of Cal worshipfully to his film-buff dentist. — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026

Certainly, Kahan had faith in Simmons’ guidance, which led to signing with a major label and building his fanbase, but Simmons also deferred to his client on matters of artistry. — Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026

Rhymes for defer to

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue