preference
Americannoun
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the act of preferring.
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the state of being preferred.
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that which is preferred; choice.
His preference is vanilla, not chocolate.
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a practical advantage given to one over others.
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a prior right or claim, as to payment of dividends or to assets upon dissolution.
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the favoring of one country or group of countries by granting special advantages over others in international trade.
noun
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the act of preferring
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something or someone preferred
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law
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the settling of the claims of one or more creditors before or to the exclusion of those of the others
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a prior right to payment, as of a dividend or share in the assets of a company in the event of liquidation
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commerce the granting of favour or precedence to particular foreign countries, as by levying differential tariffs
Related Words
See choice.
Other Word Forms
- nonpreference noun
- self-preference noun
Etymology
Origin of preference
From the Medieval Latin word praeferentia, dating back to 1595–1605. See prefer, -ence
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“As consumer preferences shifted toward more technical brands — such as Hoka, On, and New Balance — visit frequency declined, eventually making many store operations untenable,” he said.
From MarketWatch
“We also expect a renewal of demand for gold from investors and central banks, as the preference for liquidity stemming from the Middle East crisis abates.”
From Barron's
He also said in an interview with the Financial Times that his preference was to take the country’s oil and that the U.S. could potentially take over Kharg Island.
From MarketWatch
They read “Coke” and “Pepsi,” indicating that folks should line up to order according to preference.
From Literature
I decide my need to know mostly outweighs my preference to not know.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
