Meaning

4 senses
  1. (transitive)To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better.

    I prefer tea to coffee.

    I'd prefer it if you didn't do it.

    vorziehen, bevorzugen, präferieren

    предпочита́тьpredpočitátʹ, предпоче́стьpredpočéstʹ

    віддава́ти перева́гуviddaváty pereváhu

    like better; value more highly

  2. (dated, transitive)To advance, promote (someone or something).

    promote over another

  3. (transitive)To present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges").

  4. (obsolete, transitive)To put forward for acceptance; to introduce, recommend (to).

Examples

1834 sentences
  1. I prefer red wine to white.

    Червоне вино мені подобається більше, ніж біле. — aandrusiak

    ruЯ предпочитаю красное вино белому. — Inego

    deIch bevorzuge Rotwein gegenüber Weißwein. — BraveSentry

  2. I prefer to work at night.

    Мені більше подобається працювати вночі. — deniko

    ruЯ предпочитаю работать ночью. — marafon

  3. Which do you prefer, tea or coffee?

    Ти надаєш перевагу чаю чи каві? — deniko

    deWas ist dir lieber, Tee oder Kaffee? — Manfredo

  4. I prefer reading books to watching television.

    Мені більше подобається читати книжки, нід дивитися телевізор. — deniko

    ruЯ предпочитаю чтение книг просмотру телевизора. — Balamax

    deIch lese lieber, als dass ich fernsehe. — Sudajaengi

  5. I prefer going out to staying home.

    Я люблю гуляти більше, ніж сидіти вдома. — DemonicSatori

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 1
to favor:
Русский
By meaning 1
to favor:
Deutsch
By meaning 1
to favor:

Origin

From Middle English preferren, from Anglo-Norman preferer, from Latin praeferō. Displaced

From Middle English preferren, from Anglo-Norman preferer, from Latin praeferō. Displaced native Old English foresettan and foreberan. Doublet of prelate. See also infer, relate and refer, delate and defer, as well as collate and confer among others.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

prefers, preferring, preferred, preferred
Base formprefer · to prefer
3rd person singularprefers
Present participlepreferring
Past simplepreferred
Past participlepreferred

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyprefer
he, she, itprefers

Past simpleLesson

all personspreferred

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave preferred
he, she, ithas preferred

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill prefer

Synonyms

18 synonyms

Antonyms

1 antonyms

Word family

16 related words

Collocations

12 patterns
  • prefer not to
  • prefer to stay
  • prefer red wine
  • prefer to do
  • prefer coffee
  • prefer red
  • prefer to travel
  • prefer to go
  • prefer to study
  • prefer to sit
  • prefer coffee or
  • prefer tea

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
prefer — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto