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

Room for Disagreement Some Republicans are deferring to the administration. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026

Austin’s unsettling visions of the future put them in service positions, always deferring to another person’s needs. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2026

Bridges has happily accepted the schematic change, which consists of him exploiting mismatches, rebounding, and recognizing when to step up versus defer to teammates. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr. 2026

It has been explained that personnel decisions are made collectively among a group of six, and Nick Arison often will defer to Riley. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for defer to

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