Meaning & use
find favor
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Meanings
phraseidiomformal
To be liked or approved of by someone, especially someone important or a group.
Grammar: Used with with or in: find favor with a person, find favor in someone's eyes.
Patterns
- find favor with someone
- find favor in someone's eyes
- find favor among a group
The new teacher quickly found favor with the students.
Her quiet manner found favor with the older members of the committee.
The proposal did not find favor among local businesses.
phraseidiomformal
To be accepted or become popular with a wider audience, especially an idea or product.
Grammar: Often used about plans, ideas, or products: the idea found favor.
Patterns
- find favor with the public
- find favor among voters
The plan to build a new library found favor with local residents.
Electric cars have gradually found favor with city drivers.
Common combinations
- find favor with someone
- He worked hard to find favor with his new manager.
- find favor among a group
- The idea found favor among younger voters.
- find favor in someone's eyes
- She tried to find favor in her father's eyes.
- fail to find favor
- The new rules failed to find favor with staff.
Synonyms and how they differ
- be well received
- Focuses on how people react to something rather than on being liked by a person.
- win approval
- Similar meaning but often suggests a more active effort to gain support.
Opposites
Practice
Complete the sentence: The new policy quickly found favor ___ the staff.
Choose one answer.
The fixed pattern is 'find favor with someone'. The other prepositions do not fit this expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “find favor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.