PREFER | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

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Meaning of prefer in English preferverb [ T ] uk /prɪˈfɜːr/ us /prɪˈfɝː/ -rr-

prefer verb [T] (CHOOSE)

Add to word list Add to word list A2 to like, choose, or want one thing rather than another: Do you prefer hot or cold weather? I prefer red wine to white. [ + -ing verb ] He prefers watching football to playing it. [ + to infinitive ] I'd prefer not to discuss this issue.formal I'd prefer you not to smoke (= I would like it better if you did not smoke), please.
  • Some people prefer a vegetarian diet, while others prefer a meat-based diet.
  • I'd prefer not to work but I don't have much choice.
  • Most convalescents prefer to be cared for at home rather than in a hospital.
  • You can detach the hood if you prefer the coat without it.
  • Would you prefer to pay by cash, cheque, or credit card?
Liking more
  • bias
  • druthers
  • each
  • each to his/their own phrase
  • fave
  • favour
  • favoured
  • favourite
  • give
  • give me ... any day/every time! idiom
  • lief
  • over-favour
  • preferable
  • preferably
  • preference
  • preferred
  • rather
  • soon
  • top ten
  • would (just) as soon idiom

prefer verb [T] (ACCUSE)

law   UK specialized to accuse someone officially: The police have decided not to prefer charges against them because of insufficient evidence. to accuse someone of something
  • accuseHe was accused of statutory rape.
  • make an accusation againstShe was arrested for making false accusations against her former employer.
  • level an accusation againstFerguson was furious at the accusations levelled against his player.
  • level a charge againstShe denied all the charges levelled against her.
  • hurl accusations atShe hurled accusations at her ex-husband across the courtroom.
  • charge someone withHe was charged with three counts of fraud.
See more results » Taking legal action
  • abatement order
  • ambulance chasing
  • appear for someone phrasal verb
  • bring
  • bring an action
  • complainant
  • enter
  • indemnification
  • indict
  • indict someone for something/doing something
  • indictable
  • indictable offence
  • indictment
  • lawfare
  • petitioner
  • promisee
  • promisor
  • prosecute
  • prosecution
  • prosecutorial
See more results »

Grammar

Hate, like, love and preferWe can use hate, like, love and prefer with an -ing form or with a to-infinitive: … PreferWe use prefer to say we like one thing or activity more than another. We can use a prepositional phrase with to when we compare two things or actions: … Expressing preferenceWe use prefer to say we like one thing or activity more than another. We can use a prepositional phrase with to when we compare two things or actions: … Would preferWe use would prefer or ’d prefer, followed by a to-infinitive or a noun, to talk about present and future preferences: … (Definition of prefer from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

prefer | American Dictionary

preferverb us /prɪˈfɜr/ -rr- Add to word list Add to word list to choose or want one thing rather than another: [ T ] We have tea and coffee, but perhaps you’d prefer a cold drink. [ T ] He prefers watching baseball to playing it. [ + that clause ] She prefers that we meet at the station. [ + to infinitive ] Would you prefer to leave? (Definition of prefer from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of prefer

prefer Surely, early generative phonology in the 1970s provided evidence for preferring deletion to insertion rules for the sake of generality. From the Cambridge English Corpus Researchers, for instance, can help shape results by anticipating preferred outcomes and subtly providing conditions that favor their development. From the Cambridge English Corpus The cane-cutters preferred the twelve-month cane; the 24-month cane was reported to be harder to cut, had lodged and was infested with weeds. From the Cambridge English Corpus Individuals are modelled as instrumentally rational to the extent that they choose those actions that are best calculated to achieve preferred outcomes. From the Cambridge English Corpus In that example, the runner strictly prefers realizing some culmination outcome (winning) in certain ways (by competing fairly) rather than others (by cheating). From the Cambridge English Corpus Obviously, all else being equal, a higher minimum standard is socially preferred. From the Cambridge English Corpus Depending on the particular problem and the actual stage of development of a given science, one type may be preferred to another. From the Cambridge English Corpus Although it would be time-consuming to undertake, an analysis of such cases might throw light upon the circumstances in which he preferred the reiterated note. From the Cambridge English Corpus Ideally, we would compare households' preferred consumption with their actual consumption for those who have and have not relocated. From the Cambridge English Corpus Of the seven participants who rejected the target sentence, two said that they rather preferred the noncontracted variant is not. From the Cambridge English Corpus Double-peaked histograms of velocity fluctuations imply that the velocity has two preferred states. From the Cambridge English Corpus Therefore, if non-parametric interval mapping is chosen, the midrank approach should be preferred. From the Cambridge English Corpus On those the majority preferred single consonant spellings for the first, fourth and seventh, and double consonants for the rest. From the Cambridge English Corpus Rather than simply closing the septal defect, relieving the pulmonary stenosis, and performing an atrial switch, univentricular repair was preferred in these patients. From the Cambridge English Corpus Standard components are preferred to custom-made ones as they are usually cheaper and readily available. From the Cambridge English Corpus See all examples of prefer These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of prefer?

Translations of prefer

in Chinese (Traditional) 選擇, 寧可，更喜愛, 覺得還是…更可取… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 选择, 宁可，更喜爱, 觉得还是…更可取… See more in Spanish preferir… See more in Portuguese preferir… See more in Marathi in Japanese in Turkish in French in Catalan in Dutch in Tamil in Hindi in Gujarati in Danish in Swedish in Malay in German in Norwegian in Urdu in Ukrainian in Telugu in Bengali in Czech in Indonesian in Thai in Vietnamese in Polish in Korean in Italian प्राधान्य देणे / दुसऱ्या गोष्टीपेक्षा एक गोष्ट अधिक आवडणे, निवडणे किंवा हवी असणे.… See more ～の方を好む, 好（この）む… See more tercih etmek, yeğlemek… See more préférer… See more preferir… See more verkiezen… See more விரும்புவதற்கு, தேர்வு செய்ய, அல்லது ஒரு விஷயத்தை மற்றொன்றை விட விரும்புகிறீர்கள் என்பதை உணர்த்த… See more से, के मुक़ाबले, अपेक्षाकृत अधिक पसंद करना… See more પસંદ કરવું, ચાહવું… See more foretrække… See more föredra… See more lebih suka… See more vorziehen… See more foretrekke, helst ville… See more ترجیح دینا, فوقیت دینا, پسند کرنا… See more віддавати перевагу… See more ఒకదానిని మరొకదానికంటే ఎక్కువగా ఇష్టపడటం, ఎన్నుకోవటం, కావాలనుకోవటం… See more অন্যটির থেকে বেশি পছন্দ করা… See more dát přednost… See more memilih… See more ชอบมากกว่า… See more thích hơn… See more woleć… See more -보다 -를 더 좋아하다… See more preferire… See more Need a translator?

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prefatory prefect prefectural BETA prefecture prefer preferable preferably preference preference capital {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

More meanings of prefer

  • enjoy, prefer, like, etc. your own company
See all meanings

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  • English   
    • Verb 
      • prefer (CHOOSE)
      • prefer (ACCUSE)
  • American   Verb
  • Examples
  • Translations
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