6 PHRASE If someone makes a judgment in your favour , they say that you are right about something. □ If the commission rules in Mr Welch's favour the case will go to the European Court of Human Rights.
7 PHRASE If something is in your favour , it helps you or gives you an advantage. □ Firms are trying to shift the balance of power in the labour market back in their favour.
8 PHRASE If one thing is rejected in favour of another, the second thing is done or chosen instead of the first. □ The policy was rejected in favour of a more cautious approach.
9 PHRASE If someone or something is in favour , people like or support them. If they are out of favour , people no longer like or support them.
fa|vour|able /fe I vərəb ə l/ in AM, use favorable 1 ADJ [ADJ n] If your opinion or your reaction is favourable to something, you agree with it and approve of it. □ The portraits attracted favourable comment when exhibited in the Royal Hibernian Academy. □ [+ to ] The commission is cautiously favourable to Austrian membership, foreseeing few economic problems.
2 ADJ If something makes a favourable impression on you or is favourable to you, you like it and approve of it. □ His ability to talk tough made a favourable impression on his supporters. □ [+ to ] These terms were favourable to India.
3 ADJ Favourable conditions make something more likely to succeed or seem more attractive. □ [+ to ] The conditions in which the elections were held were too favourable to the government. □ …favourable weather conditions.
4 ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you make a favourable comparison between two things, you say that the first is better than or as good as the second. □ The film bears favourable technical comparison with Hollywood productions costing 10 times as much.
fa|vour|ite ◆◆◇ /fe I vər I t/ (favourites ) in AM, use favorite 1 ADJ [ADJ n] Your favourite thing or person of a particular type is the one you like most. □ …a bottle of his favourite champagne. □ Her favourite writer is Hans Christian Andersen. ● N‑COUNT [usu with poss] Favourite is also a noun. □ The Liverpool Metropole is my favourite. ● PHRASE If you refer to something as an old favourite , you mean that it has been in existence for a long time and everyone knows it or likes it. □ Top destinations for this year include old favourites such as Majorca, Tenerife and the Algarve.
2 N‑COUNT [usu with poss] If you describe one person as the favourite of another, you mean that the second person likes the first person a lot and treats them with special kindness. □ …Robert Carr, Earl of Somerset, a favourite of King James I. □ The Prime Minister is no favourite of the tabloids.
3 N‑COUNT The favourite in a race or contest is the competitor that is expected to win. In a team game, the team that is expected to win is referred to as the favourites . □ The FA Cup has been won by the favourites. USAGE favourite
Your favourite
thing or person is the one you like more than all the others. Don’t use ‘most’ with favourite
. Don’t say, for example, ‘
noun + favourite : premiership, promotion, race, title
adjective + favourite : clear, firm, hot, overwhelming; equal, joint, odds-on
fa|vour|it|ism /fe I vər I t I zəm/ in AM, use favoritism N‑UNCOUNT If you accuse someone of favouritism , you disapprove of them because they unfairly help or favour one person or group much more than another. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ Maria loved both the children. There was never a hint of favouritism.
fawn /fɔː n/ (fawns , fawning , fawned )
1 COLOUR Fawn is a pale yellowish-brown colour. □ …a light fawn coat.
2 N‑COUNT A fawn is a very young deer. □ The fawn ran to the top of the ridge.
3 VERB If you say that someone fawns over a powerful or rich person, you disapprove of them because they flatter that person and like to be with him or her. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V + over/on/around ] People fawn over you when you're famous. □ [V -ing] Nauseatingly fawning journalism that's all it is.
fax /fæ ks/ (faxes , faxing , faxed )
1 N‑COUNT [oft by N ] A fax or a fax machine is a piece of equipment that was used in the past to copy documents by sending information electronically along a telephone line, and to receive copies that were sent in this way. □ …a modern reception desk with telephone and fax. □ These days, cartoonists send in their work by fax.
2 VERB In the past, if you faxed a document to someone, you sent it from one fax machine to another. □ [V n + to ] I faxed a copy of the agreement to each of the investors. □ [V n n] Did you fax him a reply? □ [V n] Pop it in the post, or get your secretary to fax it. □ [V n] I faxed 10 hotels in the area to check room size.
3 N‑COUNT You can refer to a copy of a document that was transmitted by a fax machine as a fax . □ I sent him a long fax, saying I didn't need any help.
faze /fe I z/ (fazes , fazed ) VERB [no cont] If something fazes you, it surprises, shocks, or frightens you, so that you do not know what to do. [INFORMAL ] □ [V n] Big concert halls do not faze Melanie.