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
Many people, environmentalists, that is, believe in preserving trees and forests; however, others, especially developers, would rather cut down trees to build houses, commercial buildings, highways, and so on.
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Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2025
Future Hall-of-Famers would rather carve their own path, in their own league.
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Our team would rather push the materials through manipulation to express stronger movement, form, or scale than to merely add more flowers.
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2025
Wednesday would rather no one read her novel than make a compromise.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for would rather
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Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2025
Future Hall-of-Famers would rather carve their own path, in their own league.
—Shane Young, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Our team would rather push the materials through manipulation to express stronger movement, form, or scale than to merely add more flowers.
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2025
Wednesday would rather no one read her novel than make a compromise.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for would rather
Cite this Entry
“Would rather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would%20rather. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.
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