1
as in likes
to show partiality toward
I generally prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in chooses
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 prefers
Like Penn, though, Roversi generally prefers to work in a more familiar and settled space.
—
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2025
Murphy prefers to live in the present.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The scene feels routine, set by a regular who prefers a late-afternoon arrival to enjoy the peace of a restaurant resetting itself between prime mealtimes.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
Rio has several bairros, or neighborhoods, but Barros prefers to wander the winding streets of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, a hilly district with an artistic vibe, colonial architecture, and panoramic views of the city.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Roach prefers that his skilled humans focus on craftsmanship, doing jobs with tactile precision that only human hands and vision can accomplish.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2025
Ranee personally prefers styling her flare jeans with a kitten heel like this best-selling pair.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Glasner prefers his players to know their role perfectly, to complement each other and to commit to the game plan largely without deviation.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Gala, meanwhile, is a funny, charming writer who prefers books that don’t resist interiority.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2025
Murphy prefers to live in the present.
—Erin Jensen, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025
The scene feels routine, set by a regular who prefers a late-afternoon arrival to enjoy the peace of a restaurant resetting itself between prime mealtimes.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 6 Nov. 2025
Rio has several bairros, or neighborhoods, but Barros prefers to wander the winding streets of the bohemian Santa Teresa neighborhood, a hilly district with an artistic vibe, colonial architecture, and panoramic views of the city.
—Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2025
Roach prefers that his skilled humans focus on craftsmanship, doing jobs with tactile precision that only human hands and vision can accomplish.
—IEEE Spectrum, 5 Nov. 2025
Ranee personally prefers styling her flare jeans with a kitten heel like this best-selling pair.
—Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Glasner prefers his players to know their role perfectly, to complement each other and to commit to the game plan largely without deviation.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Gala, meanwhile, is a funny, charming writer who prefers books that don’t resist interiority.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prefers
Verb
-
The Jets under Engstrand focus on a physical, aggressive style that likes quarterbacks to use a blend of RPOs, zone reads and play-action passes.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The fun and flattering style works for all ages, and Manzone likes twisting hair back into a claw clip to keep things super youthful.—
Catharine Malzahn,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In this world, inflation isn’t a bug, but a feature of how the Fed chooses to balance the crisis.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Directors chooses three candidates from their district to create the 21-member cohort, who will learn about the local water system and the agency’s projects through webinars and tours of water infrastructure.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ball enjoys every second of their interactions, too.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Rose also enjoys playing with dolls, carefully giving each one its own name and unique personality.—
The Star,
Kansas City Star,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His firm often selects stone floors for beach houses or lake houses, where water, sand and dirt are likely to be tracked through the space.—
Mary Grace Granados
Special Contributor,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Jan. 2026
-
In an attempt to remedy that, the TIME photo department every year selects the ten images that made us, first, pause…then dig a little deeper into what went into bringing that image to your eyes.—
TIME Photo Department,
Time,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Collectively, there is less tolerance for stubbornness disguised as conviction, as this transit favors multidimensional thinking and open dialogue.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
-
This mindset naturally favors destinations with a strong culinary identity.—
Jamie Cuccinelli,
Martha Stewart,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The robot picks unsorted bearing rings and places them onto a buffer table.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Our top picks start at $16, with some even on sale, too.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Though designers will still prioritize efficiency, the triangle might not always be the default layout to achieve what a homeowner wants.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Transgender athlete wants to drop her challenge Lindsay Hecox, a transgender student at Boise State University who convinced lower courts to temporarily block enforcement of Idaho’s ban, now wants to abandon her case.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prefers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prefers. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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