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

But the high court rejected that finding, noting that the abuse-of-discretion standard defers to government agencies' determinations. — Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 22 Sep. 2026

The three operate with a majority-rule decision-making process and defer to the others’ strengths based on the matter at hand. — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

That could continue under the PCSA, depending on how broadly courts are willing to defer to congressional authority. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2026

House Speaker Mike Johnson has largely deferred to the White House. — Steven Sloan, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for defer to

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