favor

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fa·vor

(fā′vər)

1. A gracious, friendly, or obliging act that is freely granted: do someone a favor.

a. Friendly or favorable regard; approval or support: won the favor of the monarch; looked with favor on the plan.

b. A state of being held in such regard: a style currently in favor.

3. Unfair partiality; favoritism: The referees were warned not to show favor to either team.

a. A privilege or concession: had the favor of talking with her for an hour.

b. favors Permission to engage in sexual activity, especially when granted by a woman to a male partner.

a. Something given as a token of love, affection, or remembrance.

b. A small decorative gift given to each guest at a party.

6. Advantage; benefit: sailed under favor of cloudless skies.

7. Behalf; interest: an error in our favor.

8. Obsolete A communication, especially a letter.

9. Archaic

a. Aspect or appearance.

b. Countenance; face.

10. Obsolete A facial feature.

v. fa·vored, fa·vor·ing, fa·vors

v.tr.

1. To perform a kindness or service for; oblige. See Synonyms at oblige.

a. To have a liking for; be partial to; prefer: favored coffee over tea at breakfast; favored the suitor with the quick wit.

b. To approve, advocate, or support: economists who favor free trade.

c. To show partiality or unfair preference to: thought the law favored men over women.

3. To believe to be most likely to succeed: The Tigers are favored to win the championship.

a. To be advantageous to; make more likely to be successful: Darkness favored their escape. The climate favors conifers.

b. To speed up or otherwise increase the success of (a chemical process or pathway): Increasing the pressure favors the reaction.

5. To treat with care; be gentle with: favored my wounded leg.

6. Chiefly Southern US To resemble in appearance: She favors her father.

v.intr. Chiefly Southern US

To resemble another in appearance: She and her father favor.

Idiom:

in favor of

1. In support of; approving: We are in favor of her promotion to president.

2. To the advantage of: The court decided in favor of the plaintiff.

3. Inscribed or made out to the benefit of: a check in favor of a charity.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin, from favēre, to be favorable.]

fa′vor·er n.

fa′vor·ing·ly adv.

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.

fa•vor

(ˈfeɪ vər)

n.

1. something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for payment; a kind act.

2. friendly or well-disposed regard; goodwill: to win someone's favor.

3. popularity: an athlete who enjoys great favor among the fans.

4. preferential treatment; partiality.

5. a gift bestowed as a token of regard, love, etc., as formerly upon a knight by his lady.

6. a ribbon, badge, etc., worn in evidence of goodwill or loyalty.

7. a small gift or decorative item, as a noisemaker or paper hat, often distributed to guests at a party.

8. Usu., favors. sexual intimacy, esp. as permitted by a woman.

9. Archaic. a letter, esp. a commercial one.

v.t.

10. to regard with favor; approve; sanction.

11. to prefer; treat with partiality.

12. to show favor to; oblige; encourage: Will you favor us with a reply?

13. to be favorable to; facilitate: The wind favored their journey.

14. to treat or use gently: to favor a sore wrist.

15. to aid or support: They favored the party's cause with ample funds.

16. to bear a physical resemblance to: to favor one's mother's family.

Idioms:

1. find favor with, to gain the approval of; be liked by.

2. in favor, popular; widely accepted or enjoyed: styles that are now in favor.

3. in favor of,

a. on the side of; in support of.

b. to the advantage of.

c. (of a check, draft, etc.) payable to.

4. in one's favor, to one's credit or advantage.

5. out of favor, no longer liked or approved of.

Also, esp. Brit., favour.

[1250–1300; Middle English favo(u)r < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin, derivative of favēre to favor]

fa′vor•er, n.

usage: See -or¹.

favor

Past participle: favored
Gerund: favoring

Imperative
favor
favor

Present
I favor
you favor
he/she/it favors
we favor
you favor
they favor

Preterite
I favored
you favored
he/she/it favored
we favored
you favored
they favored

Present Continuous
I am favoring
you are favoring
he/she/it is favoring
we are favoring
you are favoring
they are favoring

Present Perfect
I have favored
you have favored
he/she/it has favored
we have favored
you have favored
they have favored

Past Continuous
I was favoring
you were favoring
he/she/it was favoring
we were favoring
you were favoring
they were favoring

Past Perfect
I had favored
you had favored
he/she/it had favored
we had favored
you had favored
they had favored

Future
I will favor
you will favor
he/she/it will favor
we will favor
you will favor
they will favor

Future Perfect
I will have favored
you will have favored
he/she/it will have favored
we will have favored
you will have favored
they will have favored

Future Continuous
I will be favoring
you will be favoring
he/she/it will be favoring
we will be favoring
you will be favoring
they will be favoring

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been favoring
you have been favoring
he/she/it has been favoring
we have been favoring
you have been favoring
they have been favoring

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been favoring
you will have been favoring
he/she/it will have been favoring
we will have been favoring
you will have been favoring
they will have been favoring

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been favoring
you had been favoring
he/she/it had been favoring
we had been favoring
you had been favoring
they had been favoring

Conditional
I would favor
you would favor
he/she/it would favor
we would favor
you would favor
they would favor

Past Conditional
I would have favored
you would have favored
he/she/it would have favored
we would have favored
you would have favored
they would have favored

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	favor - an act of gracious kindness favour benignity, kindness - a kind act good turn, turn - a favor for someone; "he did me a good turn"
	2.	favor - an advantage to the benefit of someone or something; "the outcome was in his favor" favour advantage, vantage - the quality of having a superior or more favorable position; "the experience gave him the advantage over me"
	3.	favor - an inclination to approve; "that style is in favor this season" favour inclination, tendency, disposition - an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others; "he had an inclination to give up too easily"; "a tendency to be too strict"
	4.	favor - a feeling of favorable regard favour approval - a feeling of liking something or someone good; "although she fussed at them, she secretly viewed all her children with approval"
	5.	favor - souvenir consisting of a small gift given to a guest at a party party favor, party favour, favour cracker bonbon, snapper - a party favor consisting of a paper roll (usually containing candy or a small favor) that pops when pulled at both ends keepsake, souvenir, relic, token - something of sentimental value
Verb	1.	favor - promote over another; "he favors his second daughter" favour, prefer elevate, kick upstairs, promote, upgrade, advance, raise - give a promotion to or assign to a higher position; "John was kicked upstairs when a replacement was hired"; "Women tend not to advance in the major law firms"; "I got promoted after many years of hard work" advantage - give an advantage to; "This system advantages the rich"
	2.	favor - consider as the favorite; "The local team was favored" favour consider, regard, view, reckon, see - deem to be; "She views this quite differently from me"; "I consider her to be shallow"; "I don't see the situation quite as negatively as you do"
	3.	favor - treat gently or carefully favour spare, save - refrain from harming
	4.	favor - bestow a privilege upon privilege, favour countenance, permit, allow, let - consent to, give permission; "She permitted her son to visit her estranged husband"; "I won't let the police search her basement"; "I cannot allow you to see your exam"

favor

noun

1. A kindly act:

good turn, grace, indulgence, kindness, service.

Archaic: benefit.

2. A charitable deed:

benefaction, beneficence, benevolence, benignity, kindliness, kindness, oblation, office (often used in plural), philanthropy.

3. An act requiring special generosity:

beau geste, compliment, courtesy.

4. Favorable regard:

acceptance, approbation, approval.

5. A feeling of deference, approval, and liking:

account, admiration, appreciation, consideration, esteem, estimation, honor, regard, respect.

6. Favorable or preferential bias:

favoritism, partiality, partialness, preference.

7. Something beneficial:

advantage, avail, benefit, blessing, boon, gain, profit.

verb

1. To perform a service or a courteous act for:

accommodate, oblige.

2. To be favorably disposed toward:

approve, countenance, hold with.

Informal: go for.

Idiom: take kindly to.

3. To show partiality toward (someone):

prefer.

Idiom: play favorites.

4. To lend supportive approval to:

countenance, encourage, smile on (or upon).

5. To treat with inordinate gentleness and care:

spare.

Idiom: handle with kid gloves.

6. Chiefly Regional. To be similar to, as in appearance:

resemble, take after.

Translations

رِضاً

přízeňlaskavost

tjeneste

dafür Gefallen Gunst Huld

εύνοια ευνοώ χάρη

favor favoritismo gracia preferencia preferir

palvelussuosiasuosio

faveur favoriser fleur

usluga

favore favorire

賛成

호의

благосклонность любезность одолжение расположение услуга

naklonjenpodpiratiusluga

molbausluga

tjänst

ความชื่นชอบ

yardım

ơnsự quý mến

宠爱

favour

(American) favor (ˈfeivə) noun

1. a kind action. Will you do me a favour and lend me your car?

2. kindness or approval. She looked on him with great favour.

3. preference or too much kindness. By doing that he showed favour to the other side.

4. a state of being approved of. He was very much in favour with the Prime Minister.

verb

to support or show preference for. Which side do you favour?

ˈfavourable adjective , (American) favorable

1. showing approval. Was her reaction favourable or unfavourable?

2. helpful or advantageous. a favourable wind.

ˈfavourably , (American) favorably adverb

ˈfavourite (-rit) , (American) favorite adjective

best-liked; preferred. his favourite city.

noun

a person or thing that one likes best. Of all her paintings that is my favourite.

ˈfavouritism (-ri-) , (American) favoritism noun

preferring or supporting one person etc more than another. I can't be accused of favouritism – I voted for everyone!

in favour of

in support of. I am in favour of higher pay.

in one's favour

to one's benefit or advantage. The wind was in our favour.

favour, noun, ends in -our.
The adjective favourable is also spelt with -our-.

favor

→ رِضاً přízeň tjeneste Gefallen εύνοια favor suosio faveur usluga favore 賛成 호의 instemming tjeneste przysługa favor благосклонность tjänst ความชื่นชอบ yardım sự quý mến 宠爱

References in classic literature ?

"DEAR MADAM -- I hasten to reply to your favor of Saturday's date.

"In any case, we request you will at once favor us with the most exact personal description that can be written of both the parties.

View in context

In beauty, that of favor, is more than that of color; and that of decent and gracious motion, more than that of favor.

View in context

A FIFTH class of provisions in favor of the federal authority consists of the following restrictions on the authority of the several States:

The right of coining money, which is here taken from the States, was left in their hands by the Confederation, as a concurrent right with that of Congress, under an exception in favor of the exclusive right of Congress to regulate the alloy and value.

Very properly, therefore, have the convention added this constitutional bulwark in favor of personal security and private rights; and I am much deceived if they have not, in so doing, as faithfully consulted the genuine sentiments as the undoubted interests of their constituents.

View in context

"I was going to say, Major, that I felt particularly sensible of your kind welcome because, as it happens, I have a favor to ask of you."

I trusted to those ominous words, "a favor to ask of you," to administer the check, and I did not trust in vain.

View in context

The superiority of influence in favor of the particular governments would result partly from the diffusive construction of the national government, but chiefly from the nature of the objects to which the attention of the State administrations would be directed.

Had the nobles, by a conduct of clemency and justice, preserved the fidelity and devotion of their retainers and followers, the contests between them and the prince must almost always have ended in their favor, and in the abridgment or subversion of the royal authority.

View in context

It was near the end of January, 1913, that the changed attitude of the Oligarchy toward the favored unions was made public.

This idea, as I say, was merely carried to its logical conclusion, on a large scale, by the combination of the oligarchs and the favored unions.