Meaning & use
defer to someone
To accept another person's opinion, decision, or authority out of respect for their judgment.
See it in a sentence
On matters of law, the committee usually defers to the senior attorney's recommendation.
I'll defer to you on the wine choice since you know far more about it than I do.
A note on using this word
It implies respect for expertise or rank, not simple obedience or surrender.
Words with a similar meaning
yield tobow to
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “defer to someone”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.