defer to
phrasal verb
deferred to; deferring to; defers to
1
: to allow (someone else) to decide or choose something
You have more experience with this, so I'm going to defer to you.
deferring to the experts
2
defer to (something)
: to agree to follow (someone else's decision, a tradition, etc.)
The court defers to precedent in cases like these.
He deferred to his parents' wishes.
Examples of defer to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The White House declined to comment on Scott’s remarks, deferring to the State Department.
—
Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 21 May 2024
The local company’s president declined to comment, deferring to the Unified Command center.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 7 May 2024
The book nonetheless provides a useful reminder of the tools populist leaders have always employed and the remarkable willingness of people to defer to them.
—Ferdinand Mount, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
In such instances, the Free Press found, prosecutors and internal investigators often deferred to police accounts.
—Violet Ikonomova, Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024
For residents who were convicted out of state, Florida defers to that state's disenfranchisement guidelines.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024
The state prison system deferred to the Office of the Attorney General and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for an update on Creech, including the possibility of another death warrant.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
Even King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 88, routinely defers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who on May 20 delayed a foreign trip as the monarch’s health took a turn.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 23 May 2024
After warnings to leave, campus safety officials deferred to the Hanover Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, and other local agencies.
—Vimal Patel, New York Times, 13 May 2024
Max Greenwood, Miami Herald, 21 May 2024
The local company’s president declined to comment, deferring to the Unified Command center.
—Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 7 May 2024
The book nonetheless provides a useful reminder of the tools populist leaders have always employed and the remarkable willingness of people to defer to them.
—Ferdinand Mount, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
In such instances, the Free Press found, prosecutors and internal investigators often deferred to police accounts.
—Violet Ikonomova, Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024
For residents who were convicted out of state, Florida defers to that state's disenfranchisement guidelines.
—Kyler Alvord, Peoplemag, 31 May 2024
The state prison system deferred to the Office of the Attorney General and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for an update on Creech, including the possibility of another death warrant.
—Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2024
Even King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, 88, routinely defers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who on May 20 delayed a foreign trip as the monarch’s health took a turn.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 23 May 2024
After warnings to leave, campus safety officials deferred to the Hanover Police Department, the New Hampshire State Police, and other local agencies.
—Vimal Patel, New York Times, 13 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'defer to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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