would rather

wʊd ˈræðər

Definition

Definition of would rather - Reverso English Dictionary

Auxiliary verb

preferenceexpress preference for one option over another

I would rather stay home tonight.

choose

favor

prefer

choicesindicate hypothetical choice or desire

She would rather go if she had time.

conditional

hypothetical

supposed

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Expressions with would rather

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

I would rather die

exp.

expresses strong dislike or dread for a task

I would rather die than speak in public.

nowhere I would rather be

exp.

feeling happiest or most satisfied in the current place

With my friends here, there's nowhere I would rather be!

there is nowhere I would rather be

exp.

feel happiest or most satisfied in this place or situation

There is nowhere I would rather be than here with you.

Expressions with would

what good would that do

exp.

questions the benefit of an action or idea

He suggested calling again, but what good would that do?

would die first

express conditional death happening before others in a situation

He said he would die first if the disease worsened.

would you mind

exp.

ask someone to do something politely

Would you mind closing the window?

there would be no point in

exp.

no reason to do something

In there would be no point in arguing further.

would it kill someone

exp.

expresses annoyance at someone's inaction

Would it kill John to help with the dishes?

you would think

exp.

used to express what seems likely or logical

You would think he would call by now.

Expressions with rather

it smells rather fishy

exp.

seems suspicious or not quite right

He refused to show receipts; it smells rather fishy.

it's all rather hit-or-miss

exp.

describe something with unpredictable success or failure

It's all rather hit-or-miss whether the plan will work.

sooner rather than later

adv.

in the fairly near future

We need to finish the project sooner rather than later.

feel rather flat

experience low energy or vitality

After the long hike, I felt rather flat.

rather prickly about that

adj.

easily annoyed or sensitive about a topic

She is rather prickly about that subject in meetings.

rather you than me

exp.

I would not want to do that

If you have to clean the toilet, rather you than me.

that's rather academic now

exp.

no longer relevant or important

We missed the deadline, so that's rather academic now.

that's rather off someone's beat

exp.

not within someone's usual area of expertise

Ask Dr. Lee about taxes? That's rather off her beat.

rather pushed for space

adj.

having limited room or space available

The small apartment was rather pushed for space.

rather a lot

large amount or number of something

There was rather a lot to do before the party.

Terms with would rather included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

for preference

adv.

preferred choice

showing what someone would rather choose or have

Examples of would rather in a sentence

She would rather read a book than watch TV.
I would rather stay home than go out tonight.
They would rather wait for better weather before leaving.

View all translations of would rather

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:préférer, aimer mieux, ...
German:lieber, würde lieber, ...
Italian:preferire, preferirei, ...
Spanish:preferiría, quisiera, ...
Portuguese:preferir, preferiria, ...
Chinese:宁愿, 更喜欢, ...
Japanese:〜したい, 〜したいと思う, ...
Arabic:يُفَضِّل, يَرْغَب أَكْثَر, ...
Hebrew:מַעְדִּיף, הָיָה מַעֲדִיף, ...
Russian:лучше бы, предпочёл бы, ...
Ukrainian:краще б, більше хотіла б, ...
Hindi:अधिक पसंद करना, पसंद करना, ...
Bengali:পছন্দ করব, পছন্দ করবে, ...
Catalan:preferiria, ...
Czech:raději, raději by, ...
Danish:ville hellere, ville helst, ...
Dutch:liever, zou liever, ...
Greek:θα προτιμούσα, θα προτιμούσε, ...
Hungarian:inkább, ...
Khmer:ចង់ជាង, នឹងចង់ជាង, ...
Korean:~하는 편이다, 차라리 ~하고 싶다, ...
Persian:ترجیح می‌دهم, ترجیح می‌دهد, ...
Polish:wolałbym, wolałby, ...
Portuguese (BR):preferiria, quereria, ...
Romanian:a prefera, ar prefera, ...
Swedish:hellre, skulle hellre, ...
Thai:อยากจะ, คงจะเลือกที่จะ, ...
Turkish:tercih etmek, tercih ederim, ...
Vietnamese:thích hơn, thà... hơn, ...

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Definition of would rather - Reverso English Dictionary

Auxiliary verb

Expressions with would rather

Expressions with would

Expressions with rather

Terms related to would rather

Terms with would rather included in their meaning

Examples of would rather in a sentence

View all translations of would rather

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery