Word forms: plural favouritesregional note: in AM, use favorite
1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
...a bottle of his favourite champagne.
Her favourite writer is Hans Christian Andersen.
Favourite is also a noun.
The Liverpool Metropole is my favourite.
See old favourite
2. countable noun [usually with poss]
If you describe one person as the favourite of another, you mean that the second person likes the first person a lot and treats them with special kindness.
...Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, a favourite of King James I.
The Prime Minister is no favourite of the tabloids.
3. countable noun
The favourite in a race or contest is the competitor that is expected to win. In a team game, the team that is expected to win is referred to as the favourites.
The FA Cup has been won by the favourites.
More Synonyms of favourite
favourite in British English
or US favorite (ˈfeɪvərɪt, ˈfeɪvrɪt)
adjective
1. (prenominal)
most liked; preferred above all others
noun
2.
a.
a person or thing regarded with especial preference or liking
b.
(as modifier)
a favourite book
3. sport
a competitor thought likely to win
4. computing
a location on the internet that has been bookmarked by a user so that it can be revisited easily by opening a menu and selecting the address
5. play favourites
verb
6. (transitive) computing
to add the location of (an image, website, etc) to a list of items that can be revisited easily
Word origin
C16: from Italian favorito, from favorire to favour, from Latin favēre
COBUILD Collocations
favourite
absolute favourite
become a favourite
current favourite
family favourite
fan favourite
narrow favourite
particular favourite
personal favourite
remain a favourite
slight favourite
telly favourite
worthy favourite
Examples of 'favourite' in a sentence
favourite
No one was pretending the new numbers were anywhere near as good as the old favourites.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So what time should we be tucking into all our favourite foods?
The Sun (2016)
He was one of the favourites to win gold but finished tenth.
The Sun (2016)
One of her favourite places to sit is under the trees.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Must be one of the favourites.
The Sun (2016)
Did she have a particular favourite, growing up?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's a buzz to catch up with characters from your favourite games.
The Sun (2016)
Blue is her favourite colour.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Similar comments apply to likely favourite Captain Colby.
The Sun (2016)
You come to regard favourite books as old friends.
Lumsden, Robert 23 Steps to Successful Achievement (1972)
What are your favourite things about festivals?
The Sun (2011)
You meet where your favourite food is on sale.
The Sun (2012)
You cannot say that we are favourites to win the championship.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Luck walks into your family life wearing your favourite team colours.
The Sun (2008)
My particular favourite is the mournful throb of a distant light aircraft.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Success is out there for you and luck is linked to a favourite game show.
The Sun (2012)
She is amazing and this is one of my favourite songs.
The Sun (2012)
Luxury bed linen and towels are also favourites.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Venice is another favourite eating place of mine.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
So replacing your favourite pet with another of the same breed may not always do the trick.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Luck links to your favourite team colours.
The Sun (2010)
There is no point going in both feet first with my favourites.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
My favourite thing to do is to not work.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
You first meet where your favourite food is served.
The Sun (2016)
Colour block brights and florals were particular favourites.
The Sun (2013)
Everyone has their favourites and my opinion is no better than anyone else's.
The Sun (2011)
He is near the top of any batsman's list of least favourite bowlers to face.
The Sun (2009)
The winners of the latter game are likely to be favourites for the final on Sunday.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Everyone 's favourite sarcastic panel show host is fed up with being just that.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They must be firm favourites now to win the Championship.
Moynihan, John Kevin Keegan - Black and White (1993)
A selection of chefs and their mums take to the kitchen to prepare their old favourites.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I'm asked surprisingly often for a list of my favourite places.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The accused were respected clergy and former favourites of King Robert.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
In other languages
favourite
British English: favourite /ˈfeɪvərɪt; ˈfeɪvrɪt/ ADJECTIVE
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
...a bottle of his favourite champagne.
American English: favorite
Arabic: مُفَضَّل
Brazilian Portuguese: favorito
Chinese: 特别喜爱的
Croatian: omiljen
Czech: nejoblíbenější
Danish: yndlings-
Dutch: favoriet
European Spanish: favorito
Finnish: lempi-
French: préféré
German: Lieblings-
Greek: αγαπημένος ευνοούμενος
Italian: preferito
Japanese: 大好きな
Korean: 좋아하는
Norwegian: favoritt-
Polish: ulubiony
European Portuguese: favorito
Romanian: preferat
Russian: излюбленный
Latin American Spanish: favorito
Swedish: favorit-
Thai: ที่ชอบที่สุด
Turkish: gözde
Ukrainian: улюблений
Vietnamese: ưa thích
British English: favourite /ˈfeɪvərɪt; ˈfeɪvrɪt/ NOUN
A favourite is a person or thing regarded with especial preference or liking.
Of all the seasons, Autumn is my favourite.
American English: favorite
Arabic: مُفَضَّل
Brazilian Portuguese: favorito
Chinese: 最喜爱的东西
Croatian: favorit
Czech: favorit
Danish: favorit
Dutch: favoriet
European Spanish: favorito
Finnish: suosikki
French: préféré
German: Liebling
Greek: φαβορί
Italian: preferito
Japanese: お気に入り
Korean: 좋아하는 것
Norwegian: favoritt
Polish: ulubieniec
European Portuguese: favorito
Romanian: favorit
Russian: любимец
Latin American Spanish: favorito
Swedish: favorit
Thai: คนหรือสิ่งของที่ชอบเป็นพิเศษ
Turkish: gözde
Ukrainian: улюблений
Vietnamese: người/vật yêu thích
All related terms of 'favourite'
fan favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
old favourite
If you refer to something as an old favourite , you mean that it has been in existence for a long time and everyone knows it or likes it.
evens favourite
the favourite to win a race and on which the bookmakers are offering even odds .
favourite dish
Food that is prepared in a particular style or combination can be referred to as a dish .
favourite place
A place is any point, building, area, town, or country.
favourite snack
A snack is something such as a chocolate bar that you eat between meals .
favourite song
A song is words sung to a tune .
favourite thing
You can use thing to refer to any object, feature, or event when you cannot, need not, or do not want to refer to it more precisely .
joint favourite
one of two or more competitors in a race or contest that are considered equally likely to win
telly favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
absolute favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
current favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
family favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
favourite memory
A memory is something that you remember from the past .
favourite recipe
A recipe is a list of ingredients and a set of instructions that tell you how to cook something.
narrow favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
personal favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
slight favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
worthy favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
become a favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
favourite character
The characters in a film, book, or play are the people that it is about.
favourite ingredient
Ingredients are the things that are used to make something, especially all the different foods you use when you are cooking a particular dish .
favourite restaurant
A restaurant is a place where you can eat a meal and pay for it. In restaurants your food is usually served to you at your table by a waiter or waitress .
odds-on favourite
a person, team, horse, etc that is regarded as the most likely to win a competition
particular favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
remain a favourite
Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most.
your favourite book
A book is a number of pieces of paper, usually with words printed on them, which are fastened together and fixed inside a cover of stronger paper or cardboard . Books contain information, stories , or poetry , for example .