preference
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pref·er·ence
(prĕf′ər-əns, prĕf′rəns)n.
1.
a. The selecting of someone or something over another or others: has a decided preference for travel by train.
b. The right or chance to make a choice: The program offers you the preference to use the mouse or function keys.
c. Someone or something so chosen or preferred: What are your musical preferences? See Synonyms at choice.
2. The state of being preferred; favor over others: applicants who received preference for the job.
3. Law
a. A priority of payment given to one or more creditors by an insolvent debtor.
b. The right of a creditor to priority of payment.
c. The presentation of a case as ready for consideration.
d. The formal presentation of criminal charges against someone.
4. The granting of precedence or advantage to one country or group of countries in levying duties or in other matters of international trade.
[Middle English preferraunce, preferment, from Old French preference, from preferer, to prefer; see prefer.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
preference
(ˈprɛfərəns; ˈprɛfrəns)n
1. the act of preferring
2. something or someone preferred
3. (Law) law
a. the settling of the claims of one or more creditors before or to the exclusion of those of the others
b. a prior right to payment, as of a dividend or share in the assets of a company in the event of liquidation
4. (Commerce) commerce the granting of favour or precedence to particular foreign countries, as by levying differential tariffs
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pref•er•ence
(ˈprɛf ər əns, ˈprɛf rəns)n.
1. the act of preferring.
2. the state of being preferred.
3. something preferred; choice; selection: Her preference is vanilla.
4. a practical advantage given to one over others.
5. a prior right or claim, as to payment.
6. the favoring of one country over others in international trade.
[1595–1605; < Medieval Latin]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
Preference
bag See INDIVIDUALITY.
[one’s] cup of tea Suited to one’s interests, talents, or taste; that which hits the spot, does the trick, or suits one’s fancy.
Broadway by night seemed to be my cup of tea entirely. (Noel Coward, Present Indicative, 1937)
A logical extension of this sense is the British cup of tea meaning ‘one’s fate or destiny.’ However, if something is neither suited to one’s interest, nor a matter of destiny, it may well be another or different cup of tea; in other words, something of an altogether different kind.
A Fred racked with ideals, and in the grip of Federal Union, was quite a different cup of tea from the old, happy-go-lucky Fred. (Nancy Mitford, Pigeon Pie, 1940)
a man of my kidney See SIMILARITY.
up one’s alley Suited to one’s natural capabilities or interests; one’s concern or business; where one feels at home; sometimes down one’s alley. In or up one’s street has the same meaning, although the exact origin of either expression is anybody’s guess. Both are cited as early as 1929.
Fun’s fun, but box-fighting’s your trick and anything else is out of your alley. (Witwer, Yes Man’s Land, 1929)
A great many of the books published today are, as the saying is, right up her street. (Publisher’s Weekly, December 21, 1929)
Up one’s alley is currently the more common American expression; up one’s street is more frequently heard in Britain.
Picturesque Expressions: A Thematic Dictionary, 1st Edition. © 1980 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  preference - a strong liking; "my own preference is for good literature"; "the Irish have a penchant for blarney"liking - a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment; "I've always had a liking for reading"; "she developed a liking for gin" acquired taste - a preference that is only acquired after considerable experience; "martinis are an acquired taste" weakness - a penchant for something even though it might not be good for you; "he has a weakness for chocolate" |
| 2. | preference - a predisposition in favor of something; "a predilection for expensive cars"; "his sexual preferences"; "showed a Marxist orientation" predisposition - an inclination beforehand to interpret statements in a particular way | |
| 3. | preference - the right or chance to choose; "given my druthers, I'd eat cake" alternative, option, choice - one of a number of things from which only one can be chosen; "what option did I have?"; "there no other alternative"; "my only choice is to refuse" wish - the particular preference that you have; "it was his last wish"; "they should respect the wishes of the people" | |
| 4. | preference - grant of favor or advantage to one over another (especially to a country or countries in matters of international trade, such as levying duties) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
preference
noun
1. liking, wish, taste, desire, bag (slang), leaning, bent, bias, cup of tea (informal), inclination, penchant, fondness, predisposition, predilection, proclivity, partiality Whatever your preference, we have a product to suit you.
2. first choice, choice, favourite, election, pick, option, selection, top of the list, fave (informal) He enjoys all styles of music, but his preference is opera.
3. priority, first place, precedence, advantage, favouritism, pride of place, favoured treatment Candidates with the right qualifications should be given preference.
in preference to rather than, instead of, in place of, in lieu of Sea salt should be used in preference to table salt.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
preference
noun2. Favorable or preferential bias:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
تَفْضيلتَفْضِيل
přednostpreferencezáliba
forkærlighedpræference
mieltymys
sklonost
elõnyben részesítés
òaî aî taka e-î/e-n fram yfir
好み選択えこひいき優先
선호도
preferinţă
prednost
preferens
การชอบมากกว่า
sự thích hơn
preference
[ˈprefərəns]A. N
1. (= greater liking or favour) → preferencia f
he expressed a preference for red wine → mostró su preferencia por el vino tinto
she has a preference for older men → prefiere a or tiene preferencia por los hombres maduros
for preference → de preferencia
in preference to sth → antes que algo, más que algo
he expressed a preference for red wine → mostró su preferencia por el vino tinto
she has a preference for older men → prefiere a or tiene preferencia por los hombres maduros
for preference → de preferencia
in preference to sth → antes que algo, más que algo
2. (= thing preferred) what is your preference? → ¿qué prefieres?
I have no preference → no tengo preferencia
I have no preference → no tengo preferencia
B. CPD preference share N (Fin) → acción f preferente, acción f privilegiada
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
preference
[ˈprɛfərəns] n (= liking) → préférence f
a preference for sth → une préférence pour qch
to have a preference for sth → avoir une préférence pour qch
in preference to sth → de préférence à qch
a preference for sth → une préférence pour qch
to have a preference for sth → avoir une préférence pour qch
in preference to sth → de préférence à qch
(= priority) → préférence f
to give preference to sb → accorder sa préférence à qn
preference will be given to ... → une préférence sera accordée à ...preference shares npl (British) → actions fpl privilégiées
to give preference to sb → accorder sa préférence à qn
preference will be given to ... → une préférence sera accordée à ...preference shares npl (British) → actions fpl privilégiées
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
preference
n
(= greater liking) → Vorliebe f; for preference → lieber; to have a preference for something → eine Vorliebe für etw haben, etw bevorzugen; my preference is for country life → ich ziehe das Leben auf dem Land vor; I drink coffee in preference to tea → ich trinke lieber Kaffee als Tee
(= thing preferred) what is your preference? → was wäre Ihnen am liebsten?; just state your preference → nennen Sie einfach Ihre Wünsche; I have no preference → mir ist das eigentlich gleich; what are your preferences as regards food? → was essen Sie am liebsten?
(= greater favour) → Vorzug m; to show preference for somebody → jdn bevorzugen; to give preference to somebody/something → jdn/etw bevorzugen, jdm/etw den Vorzug geben (over gegenüber); to give certain imports preference → Vorzugs- or Präferenzzölle auf bestimmte Einfuhrartikel gewähren
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
preference
[ˈprɛf/ərəns] n → preferenzamy preference is for ..., I have a preference for ... → preferisco...
in preference to sth → piuttosto che qc
to give preference to sb/sth → dare la preferenza a qn/qc
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
prefer
(priˈfəː) – past tense, past participle preˈferred – verb to like better. Which do you prefer – tea or coffee?; I prefer reading to watching television; She would prefer to come with you rather than stay here.
ˈpreferable (ˈpre-) adjective more desirable. Is it preferable to write or make a telephone call?
ˈpreferably adverbˈpreference (ˈpre-) noun
(a) choice of, or (a) liking for, one thing rather than another. He likes most music but he has a preference for classical music.
I prefer apples to (not than) oranges.
preferable, adjective, is spelt with -r-.
preference, noun, is spelt with -r-.
preferred and preferring are spelt with -rr-.
preferable, adjective, is spelt with -r-.
preference, noun, is spelt with -r-.
preferred and preferring are spelt with -rr-.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
preference
→ تَفْضِيل preference præference Vorzug προτίμηση preferencia mieltymys préférence sklonost preferenza 好み 선호도 voorkeur preferanse preferencja preferência предпочтение preferens การชอบมากกว่า tercih sự thích hơn 偏爱Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
preference
n. preferencia.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012