prefer

English

Alternative forms
  • præfer [16th-17th c.]
  • preferre [14th-17th c.]

Etymology

From Middle English preferren, from Anglo-Norman preferer and Old French preferer, from Latin praeferō, praeferre. Displaced native Middle English foresettan and foreberan.

Pronunciation

Verb

prefer (third-person singular simple present prefers, present participle preferring, simple past and past participle preferred)

  1. (transitive) To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better. [from 14thc.]
    I prefer tea to coffee.
    • c. 1607, William Shakespeare, Coriolanus, Act III, Scene 1,
      You that will be less fearful than discreet,
      That love the fundamental part of state
      More than you doubt the change on’t, that prefer
      A noble life before a long […]
    • 1907, Robert William Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 24962326:
      "My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects; […]."
  2. (transitive, now dated) To advance, promote (someone or something). [from 14thc.]
    • c. 1604, William Shakespeare, Othello, Act II, Scene 1,
      So shall you have a shorter journey to your desires by the means I shall then have to prefer them; and the impediment most profitably removed, without the which there were no expectation of our prosperity.
    • 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Esther 2:9,
      And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; […] and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.
    • 1621, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy, Oxford: Printed by Iohn Lichfield and Iames Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 216894069; The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd corrected and augmented edition, Oxford: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, 1624, OCLC 54573970, partition II, section 3, member 2:
      Tiberius preferred many to honours in his time, because they were famous whoremasters and sturdy drinkers […].
    • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, p. 67,
      […] she was one of my Master’s Captives. For this Reason, I presume, it was, that she took so much Compassion upon me; considering herself a Slave in a strange Country, and only preferr’d to my Master’s Bed by Courtesy.
  3. (transitive) To present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges"). [from 16thc.]
    • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene 1,
      […] Let him go,
      And presently prefer his suit to Caesar.
    • 1803, Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, Letter 5, p. 137,
      At length the Maroons, who were delighted to have him with them, became discontented with his absence, and for several years, during the sessions of the House of Assembly, preferred repeated complaints against him.
  4. (obsolete, transitive) To put forward for acceptance; to introduce, recommend (to). [16th-19thc.]
    • 1630, John Smith, The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captaine Iohn Smith, London: Thomas Slater, Chapter 1, p. 2,
      one Master David Hume, who making some use of his purse, gave him Letters to his friends in Scotland to preferre him to King Iames.
    • 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, Volume One, Chapter 17,
      Such were the arguments which my will boldly preferred to my conscience, as coin which ought to be current, and which conscience, like a grumbling shopkeeper, was contented to accept […].

Usage notes
  • The verb can be used in three different forms:
    1. prefer + noun + to (or over) + noun. Example: I prefer coffee to tea.
    2. prefer + gerund + to (or over) + gerund. Example: I prefer skiing to swimming.
    3. prefer + full infinitive + rather than + bare infinitive. Example: I prefer to eat fish rather than (eat) meat.

Inflection
conjugation of prefer
infinitive prefer
present participle preferring
past participle preferred
simple progressive perfect perfect progressive
present I prefer we prefer I am preferring we are preferring I have preferred we have preferred I have been preferring we have been preferring
you prefer you prefer you are preferring you are preferring you have preferred you have preferred you have been preferring you have been preferring
he prefers they prefer he is preferring they are preferring he has preferred they have preferred he has been preferring they have been preferring
past I preferred we preferred I was preferring we were preferring I had preferred we had preferred I had been preferring we had been preferring
you preferred you preferred you were preferring you were preferring you had preferred you had preferred you had been preferring you had been preferring
he preferred they preferred he was preferring they were preferring he had preferred they had preferred he had been preferring they had been preferring
future I will prefer we will prefer I will be preferring we will be preferring I will have preferred we will have preferred I will have been preferring we will have been preferring
you will prefer you will prefer you will be preferring you will be preferring you will have preferred you will have preferred you will have been preferring you will have been preferring
he will prefer they will prefer he will be preferring they will be preferring he will have preferred they will have preferred he will have been preferring they will have been preferring
conditional I would prefer we would prefer I would be preferring we would be preferring I would have preferred we would have preferred I would have been preferring we would have been preferring
you would prefer you would prefer you would be preferring you would be preferring you would have preferred you would have preferred you would have been preferring you would have been preferring
he would prefer they would prefer he would be preferring they would be preferring he would have preferred they would have preferred he would have been preferring they would have been preferring
imperative prefer

Synonyms

Antonyms

Translations
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