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favour

Pronunciation: /ˈfeɪvə/

(US favor)
Translate favour | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of favour

noun

  • 1 [mass noun] approval, support, or liking for someone or something:training is looked upon with favour by many employers
  • overgenerous preferential treatment:he was accused of showing favour to one of the players
  • [count noun] archaic a thing such as a badge or knot of ribbons that is given or worn as a mark of liking or support.
  • 2an act of kindness beyond what is due or usual:I’ve come to ask you a favour
  • (one's favours) dated used with reference to a woman allowing a man to have sexual intercourse with her:she had granted her favours to him
  • 3 (also party favour) a small inexpensive gift given to guests at a party.

verb

[with object]
  • 1feel or show approval or preference for:slashing public spending is a policy that few politicians favour
  • give unfairly preferential treatment to:critics argued that the policy favoured the private sector
  • work to the advantage of:natural selection has favoured bats
  • 2 (favour someone with) (often used in polite requests) give someone (something desired):please favour me with an answer
  • 3 dated or North American resemble (a parent or other relative) in facial features:she’s pretty, and she favours you
  • 4treat (an injured limb) gently, not putting one’s full weight on it:he favours his sore leg

Phrases

do someone a favour

do something for someone as an act of kindness:he did us a big favour by postponing his departure for a couple of weeks
(do me a favour) [in imperative] British informal used to express brusque dismissal of a remark:‘Are you some kind of social worker?’ ‘Do me a favour!’

do someone no favours

informal do something that is unhelpful to someone:you won’t do yourself any favours by getting worked up

in (or out of) favour

meeting with (or having lost) approval:they were not in favour with the party

in one's favour

to one’s advantage:events were moving in his favour

in favour of

  • 1to be replaced by:he stepped down as leader in favour of his rival
  • 2in support or to the advantage of:members have voted in favour of strike action the judge decided in favour of the defendant

Derivatives

favourer

noun

Origin:

Middle English (in the noun sense 'liking, preference'): via Old French from Latin favor, from favere 'show kindness to' (related to fovere 'cherish')

Spelling help

Remember that favour ends with -our (the spelling favor is American).

favour in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of favour in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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