1
as in liking
to show partiality toward
I generally prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in selecting
to decide to accept (someone or something) from a group of possibilities
most buyers of that vehicle have preferred the model with four-wheel drive
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preferring
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
So instead of preferring an arm or side the way most humans do, octopuses can use all of their arms for all functions, but do have a slight preference for those up front.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
Once, Russian elites considered turning East with great caution, preferring Europe for education, investment, vacations, and more.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Arison, who doesn’t relish being in the public eye like some owners do, has not spoken on the record to Heat reporters since 2013 and declined interviews with the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel, preferring to keep the honor low-key.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Huang, meanwhile, has a pattern of skipping high-profile events, preferring direct one-on-one meetings.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
The Czech literary titan was famous for preferring to write longhand, even after the explosion of the typewriter.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Trump has done less of this in his second term, preferring to twist arms and lobby lawmakers privately this time.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
And major studios are making fewer prestige films of the kind that once used Toronto as a launching pad, preferring to divert more resources to action-heavy blockbusters and family fare.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
As Brentford did last month, opponents allow Villa’s back three to have possession, with their front line preferring to block passing lanes into midfield rather than press the ball.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
So instead of preferring an arm or side the way most humans do, octopuses can use all of their arms for all functions, but do have a slight preference for those up front.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
Once, Russian elites considered turning East with great caution, preferring Europe for education, investment, vacations, and more.
—Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Arison, who doesn’t relish being in the public eye like some owners do, has not spoken on the record to Heat reporters since 2013 and declined interviews with the Miami Herald and South Florida Sun Sentinel, preferring to keep the honor low-key.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2025
Huang, meanwhile, has a pattern of skipping high-profile events, preferring direct one-on-one meetings.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2025
The Czech literary titan was famous for preferring to write longhand, even after the explosion of the typewriter.
—Sam Bodrojan, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2025
Trump has done less of this in his second term, preferring to twist arms and lobby lawmakers privately this time.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
And major studios are making fewer prestige films of the kind that once used Toronto as a launching pad, preferring to divert more resources to action-heavy blockbusters and family fare.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 3 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preferring
Verb
-
With Tracy getting the majority of the work out of the backfield, take advantage of a fantasy manager not liking his production, and add a team's RB1 who will be getting plenty of opportunities to score touchdowns when the Giants finally make it into the red zone.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The Rare singer confirmed her relationship with Blanco in December 2023 by liking Instagram posts speculating that the two were dating.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This means regularly assessing your thinking skills, consciously choosing when to engage versus delegate mental tasks, and maintaining practices that keep your mind sharp.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Neighbors lined up against the farmers’ solar project, putting the county commission in a position of choosing between private property rights and what neighbors think is best.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Kogonada fills the film with saturated colors, favoring the primary standbys of fire-engine red, raincoat yellow and mailbox blue.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
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The split often runs not along party lines but geography, with urban legislators favoring state mandates to spur development and suburban representatives fighting to preserve local control.—
Kate Talerico,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This evolved into a prototype chiefly engineered by Burrell Smith, selecting for its CPU the 8-bit Motorola 6809 as an upgrade from the Apple II's MOS 6502 but still keeping costs low.—
Cameron Kaiser,
ArsTechnica,
12 Sep. 2025
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At the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, the Reply AI Film Festival named Love at First Sight by Jacopo Reale, its Grand Prize winner, The AI Film Festival announced winners during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, selecting from over 2,500 submissions from 67 countries.—
Charlie Fink,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Trumps otherwise basked in the royal limelight on Wednesday, visibly enjoying the pomp and ceremony, which included a royal gun salute, carriage procession through Windsor and guard of honor.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
18 Sep. 2025
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The league's punitive new CBA was designed to limit the richest teams from enjoying a significant cash flow advantage over its poorest clubs.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But a growing number of people seem to be picking the team to finish first in the AFC West.—
Robert Marvi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Prices vary based on color and size, but shoppers will score the biggest discounts when picking them up in Portman’s exact mushroom shade.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Many choose to interpret this story as God wanting firm borders.—
John Fugelsang
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
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But the same respondents were also very dug in on their beliefs and not wanting to compromise them.—
Domenico Montanaro,
NPR,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preferring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preferring. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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