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

Justifying the use of force on their campuses, schools primarily deferred to just this idea of protocol, citing arcane policy mandates to disband encampments and occupations so that academic production could resume its flow. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Most will experience wisdom teeth removal at some point in their life, a treatment typically deferred to oral surgeons. — Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Multiple council members who supported the curfew still had questions but ultimately deferred to CMPD. — Nick Sullivan, Charlotte Observer, 29 Sep. 2026

Head coach Mike Brown deferred to Knicks president Leon Rose when asked about the organization’s unwillingness to cross the second apron in any of the foreseeable seasons. — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Rhymes for defer to

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