defer to

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

While Seattle's style of luxury usually requires deferring to a casual aesthetic, the Lotte commits to the kind of high-end hotel that appeals to international business moguls. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Basically, the Supreme Court overturned a Reagan-era precedent saying courts would defer to experts in agencies when the law was vague. — Nilay Patel, The Verge, 5 Oct. 2026

If the changes are approved, Head Start would defer to state and local childcare standards, which some researchers have found to be less stringent than the program’s longtime requirements. — Maia Nehme, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026

Justifying the use of force on their campuses, schools primarily deferred to just this idea of protocol, citing arcane policy mandates to disband encampments and occupations so that academic production could resume its flow. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for defer to

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue