different between prefer vs like

English

Alternative forms

• præfer [16th-17th c.]
• preferre [14th-17th c.]

Etymology

From Middle English preferren, from Anglo-Norman preferer and Old French preferer, from Latin praefer?, praeferre. Displaced native Middle English foresettan and foreberan.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /p???f?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p???f??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)

Verb

prefer (third-person singular simple present prefers, present participle preferring, simple past and past participle preferred)

1. (transitive) To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better. [from 14^thc.]

   I'd prefer it if you didn't do it.

   • "My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects; […]."
2. (transitive, now dated) To advance, promote (someone or something). [from 14^thc.]
   • 1743, Robert Drury, The Pleasant, and Surprizing Adventures of Mr. Robert Drury, during his Fifteen Years Captivity on the Island of Madagascar, London, p. 67,^[1]

     […] she was one of my Master’s Captives. For this Reason, I presume, it was, that she took so much Compassion upon me; considering herself a Slave in a strange Country, and only preferr’d to my Master’s Bed by Courtesy.

3. (transitive) To present or submit (something) to an authority (now usually in "to prefer charges"). [from 16^thc.]
   • 1803, Robert Charles Dallas, The History of the Maroons, London: Longman and Rees, Volume 1, Letter 5, p. 137,^[2]

     At length the Maroons, who were delighted to have him with them, became discontented with his absence, and for several years, during the sessions of the House of Assembly, preferred repeated complaints against him.

4. (obsolete, transitive) To put forward for acceptance; to introduce, recommend (to). [16^th-19^thc.]
   • 1630, John Smith, The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captaine Iohn Smith, London: Thomas Slater, Chapter 1, p. 2,^[3]

     one Master David Hume, who making some use of his purse, gave him Letters to his friends in Scotland to preferre him to King Iames.

   • 1817, Walter Scott, Rob Roy, Volume One, Chapter 17,^[4]

     Such were the arguments which my will boldly preferred to my conscience, as coin which ought to be current, and which conscience, like a grumbling shopkeeper, was contented to accept […].

Usage notes

• The verb can be used in three different forms:
  1. prefer + noun + to (or over) + noun. Example: I prefer coffee to tea.
  2. prefer + gerund + to (or over) + gerund. Example: I prefer skiing to swimming.
  3. prefer + full infinitive + rather than + bare infinitive. Example: I prefer to die honorably rather than live in shame. If the second verb is the same as the first, it can be elided: I prefer to eat fish rather than meat.

Inflection

Synonyms

• forechoose

Antonyms

• disprefer

Related terms

• nonpreferred
• preferable / preferrable
• preference
• preferendum
• preferential
• preferer / preferrer
• preferment
• preferred creditor, preferred provider, preferred stock, preferred stockholder
• unpreferred
• prelate

Translations

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [pre?fer]

Verb

prefer

1. first-person singular present indicative/subjunctive of prefera

English

Alternative forms

• lak

Pronunciation

• enPR: l?k, IPA^(key): /la?k/
• Rhymes: -a?k

Etymology 1

Verb from Middle English liken, from Old English l?cian (“to please; be sufficient”), from Proto-West Germanic *l?k?n, from Proto-Germanic *l?k?n? (“to please”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyg- (“image; likeness; similarity”).

Cognate with Saterland Frisian liekje (“to be similar, resemble”), Dutch lijken (“to seem”), German Low German lieken (“to be like; resemble”), German gleichen (“to resemble”), Swedish lika (“to like; put up with; align with”), Norwegian like (“to like”), Icelandic líka (“to like”).

Noun from Middle English like (“pleasure, will, like”), from the verb Middle English liken (“to like”).

Verb

like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle liking, simple past and past participle liked)

1. To enjoy, be pleased by; favor; be in favor of.

   Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike

   • He may either go or stay, as he best likes.
2. (transitive, archaic) To please.
3. (obsolete) To derive pleasure of, by or with someone or something.
4. To prefer and maintain (an action) as a regular habit or activity.

5. (obsolete) To have an appearance or expression; to look; to seem to be (in a specified condition).
6. (archaic) To come near; to avoid with difficulty; to escape narrowly.
7. To find attractive; to prefer the company of; to have mild romantic feelings for.

   Synonyms: (British) fancy, enjoy, love

   Antonyms: dislike, hate, mislike
8. (obsolete) To liken; to compare.
9. (Internet, transitive) To show support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet by marking it with a vote.

   Antonyms: unlike, dislike

10. (with 'would' and in certain other phrases) To want, desire. See also would like.

Usage notes

• In its senses of “enjoy” and “maintain as a regular habit”, like is a catenative verb; in the former, it usually takes a gerund (-ing form), while in the latter, it takes a to-infinitive. See also Appendix:English catenative verbs.
• Like is only used to mean “want” in certain expressions, such as “if you like” and “I would like”. The conditional form, would like, is used quite freely as a polite synonym for want.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

• like like
• would like

Translations

Noun

like (plural likes)

1. (usually in the plural) Something that a person likes (prefers).

   Synonyms: favorite, preference

   Antonyms: dislike, pet hate, pet peeve

2. (Internet) An individual vote showing support for, or approval of, something posted on the Internet.

Translations

References

• like on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Etymology 2

Adjective from Middle English like, lyke, from Old English ?el?? by shortening, influenced by Old Norse líkr, glíkr; both from Proto-Germanic *gal?kaz (“like, similar, same”). Related to alike; more distantly, with lich and -ly. Cognate with West Frisian like (“like; as”), Saterland Frisian gliek (“like”), Danish lig (“alike”), Dutch gelijk (“like, alike”), German gleich (“equal, like”), Icelandic líkur (“alike, like, similar”), Norwegian lik (“like, alike”) Swedish lik (“like, similar”)

Adverb from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, from Old English ?el??e (“likewise, also, as, in like manner, similarly”) and Old Norse líka (“also, likewise”); both from Proto-Germanic *gal?kê, from Proto-Germanic *gal?kaz (“same, like, similar”).

Conjunction from Middle English like, lyke, lik, lyk, from the adverb Middle English like.

Preposition from Middle English like, lyke, liche, lyche, lijc, liih (“similar to, like, equal to, comparable with”), from Middle English like (adjective) and like (adverb).

Adjective

like (comparative more like, superlative most like)

1. Similar.
   • 1843, Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, book 2, ch. 3, Landlord Edmund

     […] and this is not a sky, it is a Soul and living Face! Nothing liker the Temple of the Highest, bright with some real effulgence of the Highest, is seen in this world.
2. (obsolete) Likely; probable.
   • 1668, Robert South, The Messiah's Sufferings for the Sins of the People (sermon, March 20, 1668)

     But it is like the jolly world about us will scoff at the paradox of these practices.

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

• as like as not

Translations

Adverb

like (comparative more like, superlative most like)

1. (obsolete, colloquial) Likely.
   • 1599, William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, Act 2 Scene 3

     DON PEDRO. May be she doth but counterfeit.

     CLAUDIO. Faith, like enough. [= Indeed, quite likely.]

2. (archaic or rare) In a like or similar manner.

   • Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him.

Noun

like (countable and uncountable, plural likes)

2. (sometimes as the likes of) Someone similar to a given person, or something similar to a given object; a comparative; a type; a sort.
   • 1935, Winston Churchill on T.E. Lawrence

     We shall never see his like again.

3. (golf) The stroke that equalizes the number of strokes played by the opposing player or side.

Synonyms

• ilk

Antonyms

• antithesis, opposite

Derived terms

• like-for-like

Translations

Conjunction

like

1. (colloquial) As, the way.
   • 1966, Advertising slogan for Winston cigarettes

     Winston tastes good like a cigarette should

   • 1978, "Do Unto Others" by Bob Dylan

     But if you do right to me, baby

     I’ll do right to you, too

     Ya got to do unto others

     Like you’d have them, like you’d have them, do unto you

2. As if; as though.

Usage notes

• The American Heritage Dictionary opines that using like as a conjunction, instead of as, the way, as if, or as though, is informal; it has, however, been routine since the Middle English period. AHD4 says "Writers since Chaucer's time have used like as a conjunction, but 19th-century and 20th-century critics have been so vehement in their condemnations of this usage that a writer who uses the construction in formal style risks being accused of illiteracy or worse", and recommends using as in formal speech and writing. OED does not tag it as colloquial or nonstandard, but notes, "Used as conj[unction]: = 'like as', as. Now generally condemned as vulgar or slovenly, though examples may be found in many recent writers of standing."

Derived terms

• feel like, look like, seem like, sound like

Preposition

like

1. Similar to, reminiscent of.
2. Typical of

   It would be just like Achilles to be sulking in his tent.

3. Approximating

   Popcorn costs something like $10 dollars at the movies.

4. In the manner of, similarly to.

   He doesn't act like a president.

5. Such as

   It's for websites like Wikipedia.

6. As if there would be.

   It looks like a hot summer in Europe.

Synonyms

• (such as): for example, such as, (archaic) as

Antonyms

• unlike

Derived terms

• like a bull at a gate

Translations

Particle

like

1. (colloquial, Scotland, Ireland, Tyneside, Teesside, Liverpudlian) A delayed filler.

2. (colloquial) A mild intensifier.
   • 1972, Charles M. Schulz, Peanuts, December 1:

     [Sally Brown:] Christmas is getting all you can get while the getting is good.
     [Charlie Brown:] GIVING! The only real joy is GIVING!
     [Sally Brown, rolling her eyes:] Like, wow!

3. (colloquial) indicating approximation or uncertainty

4. (colloquial, slang) When preceded by any form of the verb to be, used to mean “to say” or “to think”; used to precede an approximate quotation or paraphrase.
   • 2006, Lily Allen, Knock 'Em Out

     You're just doing your own thing and some one comes out the blue,

     They're like, "Alright"

     What ya saying, "Yeah can I take your digits?"

     And you're like, "no not in a million years, you're nasty please leave me alone."

Synonyms

• (delayed filler): I mean, you know
• (mild intensifier): I mean, well, you know
• (indicating approximation or uncertainty): I mean, well, you know
• (colloquial: used to precede paraphrased quotations): be all, go

Usage notes

The use as a quotative is informal. It is commonly used by young people, and commonly disliked by older generations, especially in repeated use. It may be combined with the use of the present tense as a narrative. Similar terms are to go and all, as in I go, “Why did you do that?” and he goes, “I don't know” and I was all, “Why did you do that?” and he was all, “I don't know.” These expressions can imply that the attributed remark which follows is representative rather than necessarily an exact quotation; however, in speech these structures do tend to require mimicking the original speaker's inflection in a way said would not.

Excessive use of "like" as a meaningless filler is widely criticised.

Translations

Interjection

like

1. (Liverpudlian, Tyneside) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.

Etymology 3

From like (adverb) and like (adjective).

Verb

like (third-person singular simple present likes, present participle liking, simple past and past participle liked)

1. (chiefly dialectal, intransitive) To be likely.

References

• A Dictionary of North East Dialect, Bill Griffiths, 2005, Northumbria University Press, ?ISBN
• like at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

• Kiel, Kile, kile, liek

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English like.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [l?j??]

Noun

like n (singular definite liket, plural indefinite likes)

1. (Internet) like

Verb

like (imperative like, infinitive at like, present tense liker, past tense likede, perfect tense har liket)

1. (Internet) like

French

Pronunciation

• Homophones: likent, likes

Verb

like

1. first-person singular present indicative of liker
2. third-person singular present indicative of liker
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of liker
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of liker
5. second-person singular imperative of liker

German

Verb

like

1. inflection of liken:
   1. first-person singular present
   2. first/third-person singular subjunctive I
   3. singular imperative

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Eastern Polynesian *lite. Compare Maori rite.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?li.ke/, [?like]

Verb

like

1. (stative) like, alike, similar

Derived terms

• ho?olike: to make things equal, to make things similar (less common)
• ho?oh?like: to make things equal, to make things similar (more common)

References

• “like” in the Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised and Enlarged Edition, University of Hawaii Press, 1986

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse líka

Verb

like (imperative lik, present tense liker, simple past likte, past participle likt)

1. to like

Etymology 2

Adjective

like

1. definite singular of lik
2. plural of lik

Etymology 3

Adverb

like

1. as, equally

Derived terms

• likefullt, like fullt
• likeledes
• likeså

References

• “like” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²li?k?/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse líka

Alternative forms

• lika

Verb

like (imperative lik or like, present tense likar or liker, simple past lika or likte, past participle lika or likt)

1. to like

Etymology 2

Adjective

like

1. definite singular of lik
2. plural of lik

Etymology 3

From Old Norse líka

Adverb

like

1. as, equally

2. just, immediately

References

• “like” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Scots

Etymology

From Old English l?cian (“to be pleasing”)

Verb

like (third-person singular present likes, present participle likin, past likit, past participle likit)

1. To like.
2. To be hesitant to do something.

3. To love somebody or something.

Adverb

like (not comparable)

1. like

Interjection

like

1. (South Scots) Used to place emphasis upon a statement.

Spanish

Etymology

From English like.

Noun

like m (plural likes)

1. (Internet slang) like

Swedish

Adjective

like

1. absolute definite natural masculine form of lik.

Noun

like c

1. match (someone similarly skillful)

Declension