deference
noun
Did you know?
As you might have guessed, deference is related to the verb defer, meaning "to delegate" or "to submit to another's wishes." But we need to be specific when we tell you that both these words come from the Medieval Latin verb dēferre, which means "to convey, show respect, or submit to a decision," because there are two defers in the English language. The defer related to deference is typically used with to in contexts having to do either with allowing someone else to decide or choose something, as in "I'll defer to the dictionary," or with agreeing to follow someone else's decision, wish, etc., as when a court defers to precedent. The other defer traces to the Latin verb differre, meaning "to carry away in varying directions, spread abroad, postpone, delay, be unlike or distinct." That defer is typically used in contexts having to do with delaying or postponing something, as in "a willingness to defer the decision until next month."
Examples of deference in a Sentence
Benjamin R. Barber, Atlantic, March 1992
In the 1980s, in deference to the neighborhoods, City Hall would attempt a counter-reformation of downtown, forbidding "Manhattanization."
—Richard Rodriguez, Harper's, October 1990
She could have subtly appealed to the deference … she knew was still in there, encoded in their middle-aged hearts; she never did.
—Peggy Noonan, New York Times Magazine, 16 Dec. 1990
A sense of deference to the upper class among whites made it possible, in Sproat's estimation, for white leaders to contain the white supremacists.
—Robert L. Harris, Jr., American Historical Review, December 1987
Her relatives treat one another with deference.
He is shown much deference by his colleagues.
John Ketchum, Fortune, 24 June 2025
Even as Marine Corps recruiters promote enlistment as protection for families lacking legal status, directives for strict immigrant enforcement have cast away practices of deference previously afforded to military families, immigration law experts say.
—CBS News, 23 June 2025
The courts’ traditional deference to the president in foreign affairs is unlikely to change.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
That authority was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. Hawaii (2018), which ruled 5-4 that President Trump’s third version of the travel ban was constitutional, emphasizing executive deference on immigration and national security.
—Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deference
Cite this Entry
“Deference.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deference. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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deference
noun
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