would rather

idiom

—used to indicate what one wants or prefers to do, have, etc.

She would rather drive than take the train.

I would rather you didn't tell them.

"If you'd rather, we can go outside." "No, thanks—I'd rather not."

Which beach would you rather go to?

Examples of would rather in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, many members of Congress would rather spend tariff revenue on decreasing the national debt. —Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Dec. 2025

For anyone who would like to partake in the festivities of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but would rather not get up early and wait in the cold for hours, the Macy’s Balloon Inflation event on the eve of Thanksgiving is an option. —Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 25 Nov. 2025

Homeowners are seeing prices weaken significantly and would rather wait than accept a low offer. —Diana Olick, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2025

Cleaning trash cans is a chore that most of us would rather pretend doesn't exist, so we're thrilled when a cleaning hack comes along that can save us some pain and effort. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for would rather

• gather
• lather