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 Falcons declined a request to comment Tuesday, instead deferring to Stefanski’s availability Wednesday. —Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 27 May 2026

Crosby, a center his entire life, defers to Celebrini and plays on the left wing for Team Canada. —Josh Yohe, New York Times, 27 May 2026

Whenever he’s been asked about the offense running more through Karl-Anthony Towns at different points in the playoffs, Brunson has simply deferred to his desire to win. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 26 May 2026

As Gilgeous-Alexander shot only 7-for-20 in Game 3, the Thunder praised him for deferring to his teammates. —Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026

Rhymes for defer to

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