favorite

US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈfeɪvərɪt, ˈfeɪvrɪt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(fā′vər it, fāv′rit)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
fa•vor•ite /ˈfeɪvərɪt, ˈfeɪvrɪt/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. a person or thing regarded with special preference, pleasure, or approval:Vanilla is my favorite.
  2. Sporta competitor or contestant considered likely to win:the favorite in the race.

adj. 
  1. looked on with particular favor or preference;
    preferred:my favorite movie star.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
fa•vor•ite  (fā′vər it, fāv′rit),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a person or thing regarded with special favor or preference:That song is an old favorite of mine.
  2. Sporta competitor considered likely to win.
  3. a person or thing popular with the public.
  4. a person treated with special or undue favor by a king, official, etc.:favorites at the court.

adj. 
  1. regarded with particular favor or preference:a favorite child.
  • Italian favorito, past participle of favorire to favor. See favor, -ite2
  • Middle French
  • 1575–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
favourite, US favorite /ˈfeɪvərɪt; ˈfeɪvrɪt/ adj
  1. (prenominal) most liked; preferred above all others
 n
  1. a person or thing regarded with especial preference or liking
  2. a competitor thought likely to win
  3. a location on the internet that has been bookmarked by a user so that it can be revisited easily by opening a menu and selecting the address
 vb
  • (transitive) to add the location of (an image, website, etc) to a list of items that can be revisited easily
    • Etymology: 16th Century: from Italian favorito, from favorire to favour, from Latin favēre
    'favorite' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
    favourite - Absalom - afternooner - Aisha - all-time - Amphinomus - ananda - book - boyfriend - brokered convention - chanterelle - cheval de bataille - darling - dial - diversion - Dudley - expat - fair-haired - fave - favorite son - favoritism - Fontainebleau - gain - girlfriend - gossamer - hit parade - hobby - hornpipe - idol - indulgence - Kesha - Kesia - meat - next - odds-on - pantaloon - partner - pet - philanthropy - polyped - popular - pot - Potëmkin - preset - rabbit ears - Rachel - Raleigh - rendezvous - replace - Taj Mahal
    Collocations: is one of my favorite [books, movies, songs], is a favorite of mine, is not my favorite [book], more...

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    Look up "favorite" at Merriam-Webster
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