Find vs Prefer - What's the difference?
find | prefer |
To encounter or discover by accident; to happen upon.
* Shakespeare
* Cowley
To encounter or discover something being searched for; to locate.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2
, passage=I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.}}
* , chapter=10
, title= * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=January 25, author=Paul Fletcher, work=BBC
, title= * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= To point out.
To decide that, to discover that, to form the opinion that.
* Shakespeare
* Cowley
* {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
, chapter=1 To determine or judge.
To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.
* Shakespeare
To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end.
To gain, as the object of desire or effort.
To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.
(archaic) To provide for; to supply; to furnish.
* London Times
* Charles Dickens
Anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.
The act of finding.
*, 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 .
As verbs the difference between find and prefer
is that find is to encounter or discover by accident; to happen upon while prefer is .As a noun find
is anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.find
English
Verb
- Searching the window for a flint, I found / This paper, thus sealed up.
- In woods and forests thou art found .
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant.}}
Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich (agg. 3-1), passage=Van Persie scored a hat-trick against Wigan on Saturday and should have found' the net again after Bendtner ' found him at the far post but the Dutchman's header rebounded to safety off the crossbar.}}
Welcome to the plastisphere, passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field. Dr Mincer and Dr Amaral-Zettler found evidence of them on their marine plastic, too.}}
- I find you passing gentle.
- The torrid zone is now found habitable.
citation, passage=“[…] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes
- to find''' a verdict; to '''find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person
- to find his title with some shows of truth
- Water is found to be a compound substance.
- to find''' leisure; to '''find means
- Looks like he found himself a new vehicle!
- After a long flight, I now find myself in San Francisco.
- to find food for workmen
- He finds his nephew in money.
- Wages £14 and all found .
- Nothing a day and find yourself.