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preference

[pref-er-uhns, pref-ruhns]

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noun

the act of preferring.

the state of being preferred.

that which is preferred; choice: His preference is vanilla, not chocolate.

a practical advantage given to one over others.

a prior right or claim, as to payment of dividends or to assets upon dissolution.

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the favoring of one country or group of countries by granting special advantages over others in international trade.

COLLAPSE

Origin:
1595–1605; < Medieval Latin praeferentia. See prefer, -ence

Related forms

non·pref·er·ence, noun

self-pref·er·ence, noun

Synonyms
3. selection, pick. See choice.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Preference

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Preference is always a great word to know.

So is interrobang. Does it mean:

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

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Example Sentences

Even rats with low preference for booze drank significantly less after treatment.

We provide furnished housing as a choice of either an apartment or a villa depending on your preference.

Preference will be given to a candidate who has expertise in the area of instructional technology.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

preference (ˈprɛfərəns, ˈprɛfrəns)

—n
1.	the act of preferring
2.	something or someone preferred
3.	law
	a. the settling of the claims of one or more creditors before or to the exclusion of those of the others
	b. a prior right to payment, as of a dividend or share in the assets of a company in the event of liquidation
4.	commerce the granting of favour or precedence to particular foreign countries, as by levying differential tariffs

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

preference

1650s, "act of prefering," from prefer + -ence. Sense of "that which one prefers" is from 1864.

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