favour

fa|vour¹ W2S1 BrE favor AmE [ˈfeıvə US -ər] n

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1¦(help)¦

2¦(support/approval)¦

3¦(popular/unpopular)¦

4¦(advantage)¦

5¦(choose something instead)¦

6 do somebody/something no favours

7¦(unfair support)¦

8 do me/us a favour!

9¦(gift)¦

10¦(sex)¦

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1.) ¦(HELP)¦

something that you do for someone in order to help them or be kind to them

▪ Could you do me a favour and tell Kelly I can't make it?

▪ He hired John as a favour to his father.

▪ Paul, can I ask you a favor ?

▪ I owed him a favour so I couldn't say no.

▪ She helps me out when I have too much to do, and I return the favour when I can.

▪ Do yourself a favour and make sure you get some time to yourself.

2.) ¦(SUPPORT/APPROVAL)¦[U]

support, approval, or agreement for something such as a plan, idea, or system

in favour of sth

▪ Senior ministers spoke in favour of the proposal.

▪ I talked to Susie about it, and she's all in favor (=completely approves) of going.

find/gain/win favour

▪ The idea may find favor with older people.

in sb/sth's favour

▪ The vote was 60-59 in the government's favor.

▪ In Sweden and other countries, nuclear power has lost favor .

look on/view/regard sth with favour

formal (=support something, and want to help it succeed)

▪ Employers are more likely to look with favour on experienced candidates.

▪ All in favour (=used when asking people to vote on something by raising a hand) ?

vote/decide in favour of sth

(=vote or decide to support something)

▪ 288 members voted in favor of the ban.

find/rule in favour of sb

formal (=make a legal decision that supports someone)

3.) ¦(POPULAR/UNPOPULAR)¦[U]

when someone or something is liked or approved of by people, or not liked or approved of

be in favour (with sb)

▪ The island is very much in favour as a holiday destination.

be out of favour (with sb)

▪ The stock is currently out of favor with investors.

find/gain/win favour

▪ Radcliffe's books began to find favour with the reading public.

come/be back in favour

(=become popular again)

▪ Fountain pens have come back in favour.

fall/go out of favour

(=stop being approved of)

▪ Grammar-based teaching methods went out of favour in the 60s and 70s.

4.) ¦(ADVANTAGE)¦

in sb's favour

if something is in someone's favour, it gives them an advantage over someone else

▪ Conditions on court are very much in Williams' favour.

▪ The new rules should actually work in your favor .

▪ Duncan had his height and weight in his favour during the fight.

the odds are (stacked) in sb's favour

(=someone has a big advantage)

5.) ¦(CHOOSE SOMETHING INSTEAD)¦

do sth in favour of sth

if you decide not to use one thing in favour of another, you choose the other one because you think it is better

▪ Plans for a tunnel were rejected in favour of a bridge.

6.) do sb/sth no favours

not do sb/sth any favours

to do something that makes someone or something look worse than they are, or that does not help at all

▪ Low interest rates don't do savers any favours.

7.) ¦(UNFAIR SUPPORT)¦[U]

support that is given to one person or group and not to others, in a way that does not seem fair

▪ Teachers should not show favour to any pupil.

8.) do me/us a favour!

BrE spoken used when you are annoyed because someone has asked a silly question or done something to upset people

▪ Do us a favour, Mike, and shut up!

▪ 'Did you like it?' 'Do me a favour!'

9.) ¦(GIFT)¦ AmE

a ↑party favor

10.)¦(SEX)¦

favours [plural] old-fashioned when you allow someone to have sex with you

▪ She shared her sexual favors with many men.

→curry favour (with sb) at ↑curry² , without fear or favour at ↑fear¹ (6), be thankful/grateful for small favours at ↑small¹ (13)

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COLLOCATES for sense 1

do somebody a favour (=do something for someone)

as a favour (to somebody) (=because you want to be kind, not because you have to)

ask somebody a favour/ask a favour of somebody (=ask someone to do something for you)

owe somebody a favour (=feel that you should do something for someone because they have done something for you)

return a favour (=do something for someone because they have done something for you)

be doing somebody a favour (=used to say that something that seems bad will benefit someone)

do yourself a favour (=do something good for yourself)

a personal favour

a political favour

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favour ²

favour² W3 BrE favor AmE v [T]

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1¦(prefer)¦

2¦(give an advantage)¦

3¦(help)¦

4¦(look like)¦

Phrasal verbs

　favour somebody with something

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1.) ¦(PREFER)¦

to prefer someone or something to other things or people, especially when there are several to choose from

▪ Both countries seem to favour the agreement.

▪ loose clothing of the type favoured in Arab countries

favour sb/sth over sb/sth

▪ Florida voters favored Bush over Gore by a very small margin.

2.) ¦(GIVE AN ADVANTAGE)¦

to treat someone much better than someone else, in a way that is not fair

▪ a tax cut that favours rich people

favour sb over sb

▪ a judicial system that favours men over women

3.) ¦(HELP)¦

to provide suitable conditions for something to happen

▪ The current economy does not favour the development of small businesses.

4.) ¦(LOOK LIKE)¦

old-fashioned to look like one of your parents or grandparents

favour with [favour sb with sth] phr v

to give someone something such as a look or reply

▪ McIntosh favoured her with a smile.