preferred; preferring
1
: to promote or advance to a rank or position
2
: to like better or best
prefers sports to reading
prefers to watch TV
3
: to give (a creditor) priority
4
archaic
: to put or set forward or before someone : recommend
5
: to bring or lay against someone
won't prefer charges
6
: to bring forward or lay before one for consideration
preferrer
noun
Examples of prefer in a Sentence
Some people like vanilla ice cream, but I prefer chocolate.
She tends to prefer small college campuses.
I prefer this dictionary because of its helpful examples.
Which one is the preferred alternative?
What is the preferred pronunciation of her name?
Recent Examples on the Web
When purchases require careful consideration, consumers increasingly prefer conversational commerce over self-service browsing.
—
Fayez Mohamood, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Our surroundings went from green to black in a line so stark as to be rarely found in nature, which prefers to operate in gradations.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Historically, the rank and file of the police department has preferred that the chief come from within the department.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
And while most low- and middle-income earners prefer paying with cash or debit cards, a majority (51%) of households making more than $150,000 annually prefer credit cards, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2025 findings.
—Gordon Ebanks, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefer
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Fayez Mohamood, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2025
Our surroundings went from green to black in a line so stark as to be rarely found in nature, which prefers to operate in gradations.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Historically, the rank and file of the police department has preferred that the chief come from within the department.
—Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 20 Oct. 2025
And while most low- and middle-income earners prefer paying with cash or debit cards, a majority (51%) of households making more than $150,000 annually prefer credit cards, according to the Federal Reserve’s 2025 findings.
—Gordon Ebanks, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prefer
Cite this Entry
“Prefer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefer. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
prefer
verb
pre·fer
pri-ˈfər 
preferred; preferring
1
: to choose or like better than another
prefer dark clothes
2
: to present for action or consideration
prefer charges against a thief
Legal Definition
prefer
transitive verb
pre·fer
pri-ˈfər
preferred; preferring
1
: to give (a creditor or debt) priority or preference
any preferred charges such as child support or alimony—In re Smiley, 427 P.2d 179 (1967)
In re Smiley, 427 P.2d 179 (1967)2
: to bring forward for determination
especially
: to bring (a charge) against someone
the various means by which a grand jury might prefer charges —State v. Byrd, 399 S.E.2d 267 (1990)
State v. Byrd, 399 S.E.2d 267 (1990) Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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