would rather
idiom
—used to indicate what one wants or prefers to do, have, etc.
She would rather drive than take the train.
I would rather you didn't tell them.
"If you'd rather, we can go outside." "No, thanks—I'd rather not."
Which beach would you rather go to?
Examples of would rather in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Afterwards, Hamid starts to ghost Mahnaz, and, when reached by phone, his mother blurts out the awful truth, which is that Hamid is having second thoughts about Mahnaz and would rather be marrying Mehri.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 May 2025
According to a 2024 study by ADP Research, 46% of the youngest employees, especially Gen-Z, would rather be unemployed than unhappy at work.
—Andrei Cretu, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
And yet, there is no place Bret, the more garrulous of the two brothers and host of the Bret Boone Podcast, would rather be (Bret and Aaron also have a younger brother, Matthew, who played minor-league baseball).
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Hayakawa’s script eschews any sweeping commentary in favor of a more honest and incidental portrait of growing up — one that would rather be true to the reality of Fuki’s experience than mold it to fit the poetic forms of adult memory.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for would rather
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Damon Wise, Deadline, 22 May 2025
According to a 2024 study by ADP Research, 46% of the youngest employees, especially Gen-Z, would rather be unemployed than unhappy at work.
—Andrei Cretu, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
And yet, there is no place Bret, the more garrulous of the two brothers and host of the Bret Boone Podcast, would rather be (Bret and Aaron also have a younger brother, Matthew, who played minor-league baseball).
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Hayakawa’s script eschews any sweeping commentary in favor of a more honest and incidental portrait of growing up — one that would rather be true to the reality of Fuki’s experience than mold it to fit the poetic forms of adult memory.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for would rather
Cite this Entry
“Would rather.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would%20rather. Accessed 30 May. 2025.
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