Prefer vs Favor - What's the difference?
prefer | favor |
*, II.3.2:
*:Tiberius preferred many to honours in his time, because they were famous whoremasters and sturdy drinkers.
(lb) To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better.
:
*
*:"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;."
(lb) To present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges").
*1630 , , True Travels , in Kupperman 1988, p.36:
*:one Master David Hume, who making some use of his purse, gave him Letters to his friends in Scotland to preferre him to King James.
*1817 , (Walter Scott), , XVII:
*: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.
prefer'' + noun + ''to'' (or ''over'') + noun. Example: ''I prefer coffee to tea .
* prefer'' + gerund + ''to'' (or ''over'') + gerund. Example: ''I prefer skiing to swimming .
* prefer'' + full infinitive + ''rather than'' + bare infinitive. Example: ''I prefer to eat fish rather than (eat) meat .
A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).
Goodwill; benevolent regard.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady.
A small gift; a party favor.
* Shakespeare
Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
* Jonathan Swift
The object of regard; person or thing favoured.
* Milton
(obsolete) Appearance; look; countenance; face.
* Shakespeare
(legal) Partiality; bias.
(archaic, polite) A letter.
(obsolete, in the plural) lovelocks
(transitive) To look upon fondly; to prefer.
* And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored', the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. —, King James version, ' 1611
* {{quote-book, year=1963, author=(Margery Allingham), title=(The China Governess)
, chapter=6 (transitive) To do a favor [noun sense 1] for; to show beneficence toward.
(transitive) To treat with care.
(transitive) To have a similar appearance, to look like another person.
In transitive terms the difference between prefer and favor
is that prefer is to present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges") while favor is To have a similar appearance, to look like another person.As verbs the difference between prefer and favor
is that prefer is to advance, promote (someone) while favor is To look upon fondly; to prefer.As a noun favor is
a kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).prefer
English
Alternative forms
* * preferreVerb
(preferr)Usage notes
* The verb can be used in three different forms: *Derived terms
* preference * preferentialfavor
English
Alternative forms
* favour (qualifier)Noun
(en noun)- A marriage favour is a bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a wedding.
- Wear thou this favour for me, and stick it in thy cap.
- I could not discover the lenity and favour of this sentence.
- All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, / His chief delight and favour .
- This boy is fair, of female favour .
- (Bouvier)
- Your favour of yesterday is received.
- (Wright)
Usage notes
* Favor' is the standard US spelling, and an alternative in Canada. ' Favour is the standard spelling in Canada and outside North America. * English speakers usually "do' someone a favor" (rather than *"'''make''' them a favor", which would be sense 3 only). See for uses and meaning of ' favour collocated with these words.Derived terms
* in favor * in favor of * party favor * favoriteVerb
(en verb)citation, passage=Even in an era when individuality in dress is a cult, his clothes were noticeable. He was wearing a hard hat of the low round kind favoured by hunting men, and with it a black duffle-coat lined with white.}}