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

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According to Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, 71% of business leaders would rather hire an AI-skilled junior than a senior without AI skills. —

Kimberly Afonso, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 Still, the Eagles would rather take their chances with Brown than McLaurin. —

Ted Nguyen, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025 Skinny jean fans will recoil at the thought of floating around in an extra-baggy silhouette, while wide-leg devotees would rather go pantless than attempt to squeeze into skin-tight denim. —

Christian Allaire, Vogue, 22 Jan. 2025 Jim would rather wait until the company reports on Feb. 5 before adding to our position. —

Paulina Likos, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for would rather