favorite son

noun

1
: one favored by the delegates of his state as presidential candidate at a national political convention
2
: a famous person who is popular with hometown people

Examples of favorite son in a Sentence

an athlete who is one of New York's favorite sons
Recent Examples on the Web And Lex Luthor revealed to Jordan that Lois had picked Jon as her favorite son (yikes). Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2024 Instead of cultivating consensus, King Salman concentrated power in the hands of MBS, sidelining the remaining princes of his own generation and those in the next generation who could rival his favorite son. F. Gregory Gause Iii, Foreign Affairs, 30 Mar. 2021 Birmingham spent a week in June celebrating the Negro Leagues, with everything from a slate of games at historic Rickwood Field to various murals and totems in honor of Mr. Mays, the town’s favorite son. Ken Makin, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2024 Stephen Curry, Charlotte's favorite son, was cooking in the Paris Olympics men's basketball semifinal against Serbia Thursday. Ashley Mahoney, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for favorite son 

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

Word History

First Known Use

1788, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of favorite son was in 1788

Dictionary Entries Near favorite son

Cite this Entry

“Favorite son.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/favorite%20son. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

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