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

There were times when the twins didn’t want to take their medication and would rather have been normal kids out playing on the playground. —Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2025

The administration would rather deal with France directly in New York, for example, than through a slurry of European policy in Brussels. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025

Trump hates being laughed at, and comedians who once enjoyed the armor of celebrity are finding that their corporate employers would rather sacrifice the First Amendment than risk retaliation. —Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2025

And most people would rather clean their toilet than read their health insurance policy. —Melanie Draheim, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for would rather

• gather
• lather