DictionaryAI

favorite

FAYV-rit/ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/

Noun pluralfavorites

UK spellingfavourite

7 meanings of favorite

Practice

  1. 1
    best-lovedadjective
    Liked best, or liked very much, more than other things or people of the same kind.

    Pizza is my favorite food.

    What is your favorite color?

    UsageSay my favorite food (not incorrect: my most favorite food). It already means liked best.

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable
    A person or thing that someone likes more than others, or that is very popular.

    The youngest puppy quickly became the family favorite.

    Ice cream is a summer favorite for lots of kids.

    UsageSay a favorite with people, or a favorite of someone.

    Similardarling, pet, hit

  3. 3
    likely winnernouncountable
    The person, team, or horse that people think will most likely win.

    Our team is the favorite to win the game on Saturday.

    She was the favorite, but she came in second.

    UsageSay the favorite to win or the favorite for a race.

    Similarfront-runner

    Oppositeunderdog, outsider

  4. 4
    trusted personnouncountable
    A person someone trusts or likes more than anyone else.

    The queen trusted her favorite more than any of her advisers.

    The old king kept no secrets from his favorite.

  5. 5
    bookmarknouncountable
    A saved link in a web browser or on a website that takes you back to a page.

    Click the star to save this page as a favorite.

    I added the weather site to my favorites.

    UsageOften said as favorites: add it to your favorites.

    Similarbookmark

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 6
    bookmarkverbtransitive
    To save something, like a post or a web page, to your list of favorites.

    I always favorite the recipes I want to try later.

    I favorited the bus timetable so I can open it fast.

    UsageTo take it off your list, unfavorite it.

    Similarsave, like

    Note
  2. 7
    nounhistorical
    A short curl of hair hanging by the side of the forehead, popular in the time of King Charles II.
    the Favourites hang loose upon the Temples with a languishing Lock in the middle
    1701, George Farquhar, Sir Harry Wildair

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of favorite apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Borrowed from French in the 1580s. It goes back to Latin favor, meaning “good will”.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 4 facts