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
Advertisement As the military and security elites captured the commanding heights of Iran’s economy, wealthy, traditional bazaar families and businessmen lost their economic autonomy and increasingly had to partner with or defer to networks connected to the IRGC to maintain their businesses.
—
Narges Bajoghli, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Del Mar City Manager Ashley Jones said in an email that the city has since deferred to SANDAG.
—Luke Harold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2026
An Abbott spokesperson, Andrew Mahaleris, declined to comment Thursday on the chief’s statement and deferred to the governor’s Tuesday remarks.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 8 Jan. 2026
In the Noriega case, the courts deferred to the executive branch.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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