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Waver vs Favor - What's the difference?

waver | favor |

As verbs the difference between waver and favor

is that waver is to sway back and forth; to totter or reel while favor is   To look upon fondly; to prefer.

As nouns the difference between waver and favor

is that waver is an act of wavering, vacillating, etc while favor is a kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone).

waver

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To sway back and forth; to totter or reel.
  • Flowers wavered in the breeze.
  • * Ld. Berners
  • With banners and pennons wavering with the wind.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
  • Thou wouldst waver on one of these trees as a terror to all evil speakers against dignities.
  • To flicker, glimmer, quiver, as a weak light.
  • To fluctuate or vary, as commodity prices or a poorly sustained musical pitch.
  • To shake or tremble, as the hands or voice.
  • His voice wavered when the reporter brought up the controversial topic.
  • To falter; become unsteady; begin to fail or give way.
  • * 1903 , Bill Arp, From the Uncivil War to Date
  • ...and that when a man was in the wrong his courage wavered , and his nerves became unsteady, and so he couldn't fight to advantage and was easily overcome.
  • * 2014 , Jacob Steinberg, " Wigan shock Manchester City in FA Cup again to reach semi-finals", The Guardian , 9 March 2014:
  • Although they believe they can overhaul their 2-0 deficit, they cannot afford to be as lethargic as this at Camp Nou, and the time is surely approaching when Manuel Pellegrini's faith in Martín Demichelis wavers .
  • To be indecisive between choices; to feel or show doubt or indecision; to vacillate.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act of wavering, vacillating, etc.
  • Someone who waves, enjoys waving, etc.
  • I felt encouraged by all the enthusiastic wavers in the crowd.
    The Fourth of July brings out all the flag wavers .
    Johnny is such a little waver ; everyone who passes by receives his preferred greeting.
  • Someone who specializes in waving (hair treatment).
  • A tool that accomplishes hair waving.
  • (UK, dialect, dated) A sapling left standing in a fallen wood.
  • (Halliwell)

    See also

    * waiver

    favor

    English

    Alternative forms

    * favour (qualifier)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • 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.
  • A marriage favour is a bunch or knot of white ribbons or white flowers worn at a wedding.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Wear thou this favour for me, and stick it in thy cap.
  • Mildness or mitigation of punishment; lenity.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • I could not discover the lenity and favour of this sentence.
  • The object of regard; person or thing favoured.
  • * Milton
  • All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man, / His chief delight and favour .
  • (obsolete) Appearance; look; countenance; face.
  • * Shakespeare
  • This boy is fair, of female favour .
  • (legal) Partiality; bias.
  • (Bouvier)
  • (archaic, polite) A letter.
  • Your favour of yesterday is received.
  • (obsolete, in the plural) lovelocks
  • (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 * favorite

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (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 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.}}
  • (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.
  • Derived terms

    * favorite (favourite) * favoritism (favouritism) * favorable (favourable) * favored (favoured) ----