preferencenoun [ C or U ]
uk/ˈpref.ər.əns/us/ˈpref.ər.əns/B2 the fact that you like something or someone more than another thing or person:
Her preference is for comfortable rather than stylish clothes.
I have a preference for sweet food over spicy.
Choosing furniture is largely a matter of personal preference.
It would be wrong to discriminate against a candidate because of their sexual preference (= the sex of the people they are sexually attracted to).
an advantage that is given to a person or a group of people:
We give preference to those who have worked with us for a long time.
Special preferences were offered initially to encourage investment.
in preference to sth
If you choose one thing in preference to another thing, you choose it because you like or want it more than the other thing:
He studied chemistry in preference to physics at university.
More examples
- I have a preference for blond men over dark.
- My preference is for savoury food over sweet.
- White wine or red - what's your preference?
- I wouldn't like to guess her sexual preference.
- We have white and brown bread - do you have a preference?
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Liking more
- bias
- each
- fave
- favour
- favourite
- favourite son
- give
- give me ... any day/every time! idiom
- lief
- prefer
- preferable
- preferably
- preferred
- rather
- soon
- top ten
- would
- would (just) as soon idiom
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Advantage and disadvantage