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Meaning & use

favorite

adjective, noun·EverydayAmerican

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UK/ˈfeɪvərɪt/
US/ˈfeɪvərɪt/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a nounAmerican

    Liked best out of a group of similar things.

    Grammar: Goes before a noun: my favorite song, her favorite color.

    Patterns

    • my favorite something
    • your favorite something

    Blue is my favorite color.

    What is your favorite food?

    This is her favorite place to read.

  2. nouncountableAmerican

    A person or thing that you like best or prefer over others.

    Grammar: Countable and often with a possessive: she is my favorite.

    Patterns

    • a favorite of someone
    • one of my favorites

    This book is an old favorite of mine.

    The soup is a family favorite.

    Chocolate chip is my favorite.

  3. nouncountablesport

    The player, team, or horse expected to win a contest.

    Grammar: Often with the: the favorite to win.

    Patterns

    • the favorite to win
    • be the favorite for something

    The home team is the favorite to win the championship.

    The young horse was an early favorite for the race.

    Nobody expected the underdog to beat the favorite.

  4. nouncountabledisapproving

    A person who is treated better than others because they are especially liked.

    Grammar: Often disapproving: the teacher's favorite.

    Patterns

    • the favorite of someone
    • a favorite with someone

    He was the teacher's favorite and everyone knew it.

    The youngest child became the family's favorite.

    She was a favorite of the king.

Word forms

pluralfavorites

Common combinations

all-time favorite
That film is my all-time favorite.
firm favorite
The song is a firm favorite at weddings.
clear favorite
The champion is the clear favorite.
personal favorite
This café is my personal favorite.
old favorite
We cooked an old favorite for dinner.
play favorites
A good manager does not play favorites.

Synonyms and how they differ

preferred
Preferred is more neutral and formal, whereas favorite suggests personal affection.
best-loved
Best-loved describes things loved by many people, not just you.
top pick
Top pick is informal and suggests something chosen from options.
darling
Darling refers to a person who is especially liked by a group, as in the darling of the critics.

Opposites

least favorite

Word family

favor noun
a kind act, or approval
favorable adjective
showing approval or being advantageous
favoritism noun
unfair preference shown to one person
favorite verb
to mark something as a preferred item, used in computing

Commonly confused: favorite or favourite?

favorite vs favourite

Favourite is the British spelling of the same word. Use favorite in American English and favourite in British English.

Practice

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