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
New ordinance defers to federal legislation The ordinance on the table at Tuesday’s meeting is a stark change to the original anti-discrimination ordinance that the city passed in 2021.
—
Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2026
Federal courts have had a history of deferring to the military on national-security matters.
—Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
In it, the Court held that judges may no longer defer to an agency interpretation because the statute is ambiguous.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In practice, both the board and Congress appear to have deferred to the President, as have most of the enforcement agencies that might challenge him here.
—E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defer to
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Feb. 2026
Federal courts have had a history of deferring to the military on national-security matters.
—Missy Ryan, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
In it, the Court held that judges may no longer defer to an agency interpretation because the statute is ambiguous.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 5 Feb. 2026
In practice, both the board and Congress appear to have deferred to the President, as have most of the enforcement agencies that might challenge him here.
—E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
