( BrE ) ( NAmE favor ) / ˈfeɪvə(r); NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
HELP
1.
[ C ] a thing that you do to help sb :
Could you do me a favour and pick up Sam from school today?
Can I ask a favour ?
I would never ask for any favours from her.
I'm going as a favour to Ann, not because I want to.
I'll ask Steve to take it. He owes me a favour .
Thanks for helping me out. I'll return the favour (= help you because you have helped me) some time.
Do yourself a favour (= help yourself) and wear a helmet on the bike.
APPROVAL
2.
[ U ] approval or support for sb/sth :
The suggestion to close the road has found favour with (= been supported by) local people.
The programme has lost favour with viewers recently.
an athlete who fell from favour after a drugs scandal
( formal )
The government looks with favour upon (= approves of) the report's recommendations.
She's not in favour with (= supported or liked by) the media just now.
It seems Tim is back in favour with the boss (= the boss likes him again) .
BETTER TREATMENT
3.
[ U ] treatment that is generous to one person or group in a way that seems unfair to others
SYN bias :
As an examiner, she showed no favour to any candidate.
PARTY GIFT
4.
favors [ pl. ] ( NAmE ) = party favors
SEX
5.
favours [ pl. ] ( old-fashioned ) agreement to have sex with sb :
demands for sexual favours
•
IDIOMS
- do sb no favours
- do me a favour!
- in favour (of sb/sth)
- in sb's favour
—more at curry verb , fear noun , stacked
■ verb
PREFER
1.
to prefer one system, plan, way of doing sth, etc. to another :
[ vn ]
Many countries favour a presidential system of government.
[also v -ing , vn -ing ]
TREAT BETTER
2.
[ vn ] to treat sb better than you treat other people, especially in an unfair way :
The treaty seems to favour the US.
HELP
3.
[ vn ] to provide suitable conditions for a particular person, group, etc. :
The warm climate favours many types of tropical plants.
LOOK LIKE PARENT
4.
[ vn ] ( old-fashioned or NAmE ) to look like one of your parents or older relations :
She definitely favours her father.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (in the noun sense liking, preference ): via Old French from Latin favor , from favere show kindness to (related to fovere cherish).