favour

1 BrE, favor AmE noun

1 HELP (C) something that you do for someone in order to help them or be kind to them : ask a favour (of sb): Can I ask a favor of you? | do sb a favour: Could you do me a favour and turn off that light? | do sth as a favour: I'm doing this as a favour, remember, it's not part of my job. | owe sb a favour (=feel that you should help someone because they have helped you): Of course I'll help you move house; I owe you a favour anyway. | return a favour (=help someone because they have helped you): Thanks for looking after all my things - I'll return the favor sometime!

2 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!”

3 SUPPORT/APPROVAL (U) support or approval for something such as a plan, idea, or system : find/gain/win/favour (=be supported by a particular group of people): The idea may find favor with older people. | lose favour (=stop being supported by people): Plans to increase taxes have lost favour among party members. | look with favour on formal (=use your power to help something to succeed): We're hoping the President will look with favor upon such a proposal.

4 in favour of if you are in favour of a plan, idea, or system, you agree with it and support it: Are you in favour of the death penalty? | Senior ministers spoke in favour of the bill. | in sb's/sth's favour: The vote was 60-59 in his favour. | be all in favour of (=completely approve of something): I'm all in favour of people going out and enjoying themselves so long as they don't disturb other people. | come down in favour of (=finally decide to support a plan or action): The senate has come down in favour of the appointment of Judge Thomas. | vote/decide in favour of (=vote or decide to support something) | find/rule in favour of sb formal (=make a legal decision that supports someone)

5 CHOOSE STH INSTEAD in favour of if you decide not to use one plan, idea, or system in favour of another, you choose the other one because you think it is better: Plans for a tunnel were rejected in favour of the bridge mainly because of the increased costs.

6 UNFAIR SUPPORT (U) support that is given to one person or group and not to others in a way that seems unfair : show favour to sb: Judges have to be careful not to show favour to either party in a dispute.

7 POPULAR/LIKED in favour if someone is in favour, people like them and approve of them at the present time : be in favour with: She's very much in favour with the management at the moment. | back in favour (=popular again): Looks like her old boyfriend is back in favor.

8 UNPOPULAR/NOT LIKED out of favour

a) if someone is out of favour, they are no longer liked, for example by their employers, teachers, or voters: The boss didn't say `hello' this morning - I think I must be out of favour. | fall out of favour (=stop being liked): Once a presidential candidate falls out of favour it is very difficult for them to regain popularity.

b) methods, ideas etc that are out of favour are not fashionable or popular any more : go out of favour: Grammar-based teaching methods went out of favour in the 60s and 70s.

9 ADVANTAGE in sb's favour if something is in someone's favour, it gives them an advantage over someone else: The fast surface at Wimbledon is very much in Becker's favour. | The system operates in favour of the upper classes. | the odds are (stacked) in sb's favour (=someone has a big advantage)

10 MONEY in sb's favour if a cheque is in someone's favour it should be paid to them: He made out a cheque for -200 in her favour.

11 GIFT (C) AmE a small gift given to guests at a party

12 STH YOU WEAR (C) something you wear to show that you support a particular political party, football team etc

13 SEX favours (plural) old-fashioned a sexual relationship that a woman agrees to have with a man

—see also: curry favour with curry 2 (2), without fear or favour fear 1 (6) 2 BrE, favor AmE verb (T)

1 PREFER

a) to think that a plan, idea etc is better than other plans, ideas etc: The president is believed to favor further tax cuts.

b) to prefer something and choose it instead of something else: loose clothing of the type favoured in Arab countries

2 GIVE AN ADVANTAGE to treat someone much better than someone else, in an unfair way: a tax cut that favours rich people

3 HELP to provide suitable conditions for something to happen: The state of the economy does not favour the development of small businesses.

4 LOOK LIKE especially AmE to look like one of your parents or grandparents: She favors her Aunt Jen.

favour sb with sth phrasal verb (T) formal to give someone something such as a look or reply: The Captain favoured her with a salute.