favor

1 of 2

noun

fa·​vor ˈfā-vər How to pronounce favor (audio)
1
a(1)
: friendly regard shown toward another especially by a superior
a politician attempting to keep the favor of the voters
(2)
: approving consideration or attention : approbation
looked with favor on the enterprise
b
: partiality
The students naturally showed favor toward their own team.
c
archaic : leniency
d
archaic : permission
e
: popularity
The fad lost favor quickly.
2
archaic
b(1)
: face
(2)
: a facial feature
3
a
: gracious kindness
also : an act of such kindness
did you a favor
b
archaic : aid, assistance
c
favors plural : effort in one's behalf or interest : attention
vying for the king's favor
4
a
: a token of love (such as a ribbon) usually worn conspicuously
b
: a small gift or decorative item given out at a party
c
: badge
5
a
: a special privilege or right granted or conceded
granted a favor to a dear friend
b
: sexual privileges
usually used in plural
6
archaic : letter
7
: behalf, interest
a man who acts only in his own favor

favor

2 of 2

verb

favored; favoring ˈfā-v(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce favor (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to regard or treat with favor
b(1)
: to do a kindness for : oblige
(2)
: endow
c
: to treat gently or carefully
favored her injured leg
2
: to show partiality toward : prefer
3
a
: to give support or confirmation to : sustain
b
: to afford advantages for success to : facilitate
good weather favored the outing
4
: to bear a resemblance to
he favors his father
favorer noun
Phrases
in favor of
1
a
: in accord or sympathy with
b
: to the benefit of : in support of
a verdict in favor of the accused
2
: to the order of
3
: in order to choose : out of preference for
turned down the scholarship in favor of a pro career
in one's favor
1
: in one's good graces
wanted to get back in the teacher's favor
2
: to one's advantage
The judge ruled in our favor.
out of favor
: unpopular, disliked
Her ideas are now out of favor.

Examples of favor in a Sentence

Noun I drove her to the airport because I owed her a favor. She's willing to help you but only as a favor to me. Don't do me any favors. I don't need your help. I've learned to be grateful for small favors. He's trying to earn the boss's favor by working late. The judge showed favor for the defendant. The students naturally showed favor toward their own school's team. Small boxes of candy were given out as favors at the wedding. Verb The teacher clearly favors you. Most voters favor these tax cuts. Her father favored the idea of her going to law school. They won the championship last year, and most forecasters favor them to win again this year. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The fact that the legislation is bipartisan is likely to work in its favor. Sam Fortier, Washington Post, 13 Sep. 2023 Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged the market in its favor by locking in its search engine as the default choice in a plethora of places and devices. Paul Wiseman and Michael Liedtke, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Sep. 2023 Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged the market in its favor by locking its search engine in as the default choice in a plethora of places and devices. Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2023 That Trophy, given to the winner of the cross-town rivalry for the two Houston schools, went to the Owls after an instant classic 2OT matchup that ended 43-41 in Rice’s favor. Selby Lopez, Dallas News, 12 Sep. 2023 The mistresses talk about the party as a labor of love, calling in favors from friends. Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 12 Sep. 2023 In the union’s favor is the current strong demand for cars and trucks, and near-record prices for new vehicles. Chris Isidore, CNN, 11 Sep. 2023 But two years later, a jury ruled in her favor, and both Logans were granted their freedom. Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023 Worming his way into Felix’s good graces with compulsive lies and tactical favors, Oliver scores an invitation to spend the summer at Saltburn, the palatial countryside estate where Felix lives with his studiedly eccentric clan. Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023
Verb
After Google introduced its PageRank algorithm, which favored websites with lots of inbound links, spammers created entire ecosystems of mutually supporting pages. Christopher Beam, WIRED, 14 Sep. 2023 Alabama and Clemson are each still favored to reach their conference championship game. Randy Kennedy, al, 14 Sep. 2023 With any shades, Jensen favors thicker fabrics with tighter weaves to increase the insulation potential and minimize air circulation in the external fabric and the lining or backing. Bridget Reed Morawski, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023 Read full article In opening statements, lawyers for the Justice Department and state attorneys general accused Google of making unfair deals to favor its search engine, such as paying Apple more than $10 billion a year to be the default on iPhones and Macintosh computers. Aaron Pressman, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023 So there’s a lot of speculation going on here, but the current map, the legislative map for Ohio favors the Republicans in the house. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2023 Texas returns to Austin as the only remaining undefeated team in the state and is favored by 27.5 points heading into its matchup this Saturday against Wyoming. Jamie Hancock, Dallas News, 13 Sep. 2023 The war in Ukraine will rumble on exactly as if the language on the war had not been tweaked to favor the Russian position. Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, 11 Sep. 2023 Culhane believes that the pace of building and renovation is too slow to address the problem, and favors rental assistance that individuals could use for apartment shares, or even to stay with family or friends. Jennifer Egan, The New Yorker, 11 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'favor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin, from favēre to be favorable; perhaps akin to Old High German gouma attention, Old Church Slavonic gověti to revere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of favor was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near favor

Cite this Entry

“Favor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/favor. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

favor

1 of 2 noun
fa·​vor ˈfā-vər How to pronounce favor (audio)
1
a
: friendly regard shown toward another
enjoyed the favor of the king
b
: approval
look with favor on a project
c
: partiality sense 1, preference
the judge showed favor to one side
d
: the quality or state of being popular
lose favor
2
: an act of kindness
do a friend a favor
3
: a small gift given out at a party

favor

2 of 2 verb
favored; favoring ˈfāv-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce favor (audio)
1
a
: to look upon or treat with favor
b
: to do a kindness for : oblige
c
: to treat gently or carefully : spare
favor a sore leg
2
3
: to make possible or easy : help to succeed
darkness favored the attack
4
: to look like : resemble
favors his mother
favorer noun

Legal Definition

favor

noun
fa·​vor
1
: bias
2

More from Merriam-Webster on favor

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