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 actor and producer instead deferred to The Playoffs director Bruno Safadi for his verdict on whether Brazil can win the World Cup this summer.
—
Max Goldbart, Deadline, 4 June 2026
On Tuesday, the conservative majority came back saying the lower court did not sufficiently consider its Louisiana redistricting decision, which requires judges to largely defer to states’ partisan interests in drawing maps that benefit the majority party.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC news, 3 June 2026
Claude must defer to Anthropic’s decision, and this is another reason that Anthropic’s relationship with Claude can’t be compared to that of a parent to a child.
—Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
Outfitted with wood and marble, the interior design's coffee and sand tones defer to the vivid greens and brilliant blues outside.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defer to
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Max Goldbart, Deadline, 4 June 2026
On Tuesday, the conservative majority came back saying the lower court did not sufficiently consider its Louisiana redistricting decision, which requires judges to largely defer to states’ partisan interests in drawing maps that benefit the majority party.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC news, 3 June 2026
Claude must defer to Anthropic’s decision, and this is another reason that Anthropic’s relationship with Claude can’t be compared to that of a parent to a child.
—Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
Outfitted with wood and marble, the interior design's coffee and sand tones defer to the vivid greens and brilliant blues outside.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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