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

One of the projects that has been deferred to after the 2026 season is improving escalators and elevators. —Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Saturday something similar happened when Duran pulled up early on a ball that should have been his, deferring to Rafaela despite the center fielder being too far to make the grab. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 7 Sep. 2025

Your manager seems reluctant to take ownership of team outcomes, frequently deferring to higher-ups even on routine matters. —Caroline Castrillon, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

As for when a decision might be announced, Goodell deferred to Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation helms the Super Bowl Halftime Show. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for defer to

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