had rather

Idioms  

1. Also, had sooner. Would prefer. For example, I had rather you let me do the driving, or He'd sooner switch than fight. This idiom today is often replaced by would rather. [Late 1500s] Also see just as soon.

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Example Sentences

And this was one they had rather seen coming.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Under constant surveillance by her master, Jacobs similarly wrote, “I had rather live and die in jail than drag on, from day to day, through such a living death.”

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

By the time he was fully committed to his career, “I had rather lost interest, as far as pursuing a Ph.D. or teaching or going into the corporate world,” he said.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2022

The other first-rounders all had rather pedestrian debuts, too.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 16, 2020

People in those days had rather different ideas about the training of dogs to what we have today.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White