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
Indeed, Santa often defers to his dog counterpart, Santa Paws, in matters of North Pole governance.
—
Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Most Europeans defer to American search engines, scroll American social media feeds, and shop on American ecommerce sites.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
Key Facts Trump is permitted to vote in Florida because he was convicted on felony charges in New York, and Florida law defers to the law in the state of conviction to determine whether the person is allowed to vote.
—Conor Murray, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Under Florida law where Trump resides, if a voter has an out-of-state conviction, Florida will defer to that state’s laws for how a felon can regain his or her voting rights.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defer to 
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Katie Rife, Vulture, 16 Nov. 2024
Most Europeans defer to American search engines, scroll American social media feeds, and shop on American ecommerce sites.
—Morgan Meaker, WIRED, 30 Oct. 2024
Key Facts Trump is permitted to vote in Florida because he was convicted on felony charges in New York, and Florida law defers to the law in the state of conviction to determine whether the person is allowed to vote.
—Conor Murray, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Under Florida law where Trump resides, if a voter has an out-of-state conviction, Florida will defer to that state’s laws for how a felon can regain his or her voting rights.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for defer to
Dictionary Entries Near defer to
Cite this Entry
“Defer to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer%20to. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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