FAVOR

Pronunciation (US):

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does favor mean? 

• FAVOR (noun)
  The noun FAVOR has 5 senses:

1. an act of gracious kindness

2. an advantage to the benefit of someone or something

3. an inclination to approve

4. a feeling of favorable regard

5. souvenir consisting of a small gift given to a guest at a party

  Familiarity information: FAVOR used as a noun is common.

• FAVOR (verb)
  The verb FAVOR has 4 senses:

1. promote over another

2. consider as the favorite

3. treat gently or carefully

4. bestow a privilege upon

  Familiarity information: FAVOR used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FAVOR (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An act of gracious kindness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

favor; favour

Hypernyms ("favor" is a kind of...):

benignity; kindness (a kind act)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "favor"):

good turn; turn (a favor for someone)

Derivation:

favor (treat gently or carefully)

Sense 2

Meaning:

An advantage to the benefit of someone or something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

favor; favour

Context example:

the outcome was in his favor

Hypernyms ("favor" is a kind of...):

advantage; vantage (the quality of having a superior or more favorable position)

Derivation:

favor (consider as the favorite)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An inclination to approve

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Synonyms:

favor; favour

Context example:

that style is in favor this season

Hypernyms ("favor" is a kind of...):

disposition; inclination; tendency (an attitude of mind especially one that favors one alternative over others)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A feeling of favorable regard

Classified under:

Nouns denoting feelings and emotions

Synonyms:

favor; favour

Hypernyms ("favor" is a kind of...):

approval (a feeling of liking something or someone good)

Derivation:

favor (consider as the favorite)

favor (promote over another)

favor (bestow a privilege upon)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Souvenir consisting of a small gift given to a guest at a party

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

favor; favour; party favor; party favour

Hypernyms ("favor" is a kind of...):

keepsake; relic; souvenir; token (something of sentimental value)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "favor"):

cracker; cracker bonbon; snapper (a party favor consisting of a paper roll (usually containing candy or a small favor) that pops when pulled at both ends)

• FAVOR (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they favor    ... he / she / it favors   
Past simple: favored   
Past participle: favored   
-ing form: favoring   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Promote over another

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

favor; favour; prefer

Context example:

he favors his second daughter

Hypernyms (to "favor" is one way to...):

advance; elevate; kick upstairs; promote; raise; upgrade (give a promotion to or assign to a higher position)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "favor"):

advantage (give an advantage to)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

Sam cannot favor Sue
The chefs favor the vegetables

Derivation:

favor (a feeling of favorable regard)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Consider as the favorite

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

favor; favour

Context example:

The local team was favored

Hypernyms (to "favor" is one way to...):

consider; reckon; regard; see; view (deem to be)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

favor (an advantage to the benefit of someone or something)

favor (a feeling of favorable regard)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Treat gently or carefully

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

favor; favour

Hypernyms (to "favor" is one way to...):

save; spare (refrain from harming)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

Sam cannot favor Sue

Derivation:

favor (an act of gracious kindness)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Bestow a privilege upon

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

favor; favour; privilege

Hypernyms (to "favor" is one way to...):

allow; countenance; let; permit (consent to, give permission)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence example:

They favor him to write the letter

Derivation:

favor (a feeling of favorable regard)

 Context examples 

This month will favor you so much for finding and enjoying love that it’s insane, dear Virgo.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

However, the balance between the analgesic and the pain‑inducing activity of leukocytes during inflammation clearly favors pain; in fact, inflammation produces pain.

(Scientists make white blood cells to alleviate pain, instead of producing it, during tissue inflammation, University of Granada)

I never grant favors without some return, said Oz; but this much I will promise.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

She thanked him incoherently, as if for a favor.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

The clays may shift the wound environment to a pH range that favors healing, while killing invading bacteria.

(New answer to MRSA, other 'superbug' infections: clay minerals?, NSF)

Some researchers favor the idea that the star is evolved — past the peak of its life cycle and on the decline.

(NASA Team Probes Peculiar Age-Defying Star, NASA)

But, with your favor, friend, I must gather my arrows again, for while a shaft costs a penny a poor man can scarce leave them sticking in wayside stumps.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A disturbance in the prooxidant-antioxidant balance in favor of the former, leading to potential damage.

(Oxidative stress, NCI Thesaurus)

This results in activation of p90Rsk and the subsequent phosphorylation and inactivation of Myt1, which favors formation of the activated cell cycle complex cyclin B-Cdc2.

(Oocyte Maturation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Activation of ERK1/2 by b-arrestin scaffolds may favor the phosphorylation of plasma membrane, cytosolic, or cytoskeletal ERK1/2 substrates, or it may lead to transcriptional activation through the ERK-dependent activation of other kinases.

(MAP Kinase Activation Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)