prefer

Prefer is a verb used to express liking one option more than another or to indicate a choice in favor of one thing over another. It denotes a subjective preference rather than an objective fact.

Grammar and usage: Prefer is transitive and commonly appears in several constructions. With a direct comparison, you can say, for example, "I prefer tea to coffee." It can follow with an infinitive or a gerund: "I prefer to drink tea" or "I prefer drinking tea in the morning." The infinitival form is often used in more formal contexts or when referring to future actions, while the gerund form can express a general or habitual preference.

With that-clause, English also uses a subjunctive sense: "They would prefer that he stay" or, in the present, "They prefer that he stay." A closely related expression is "would rather," as in "I would rather stay home," which conveys a similar idea and can be used with or without "that" (e.g., "I would rather stay home" or "I would rather that I stayed home").

Negation and alternatives: You can say "I do not prefer" or more commonly "I prefer not to" followed by the infinitive, as in "I prefer not to go." Synonyms for prefer include favor, like better, and opt for.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin praeferre, from prae- "before" and ferre "to carry." It entered English in the late Middle Ages with the sense of carrying one option before another.