in preference to with

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "in preference to with" is not correct and does not make sense in written English.
It seems to be an attempt to express a choice or preference, but the construction is awkward and unclear. Example: "I chose tea in preference to coffee."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

60 human-written examples

That interpretation is supported by the fact that admissions tutors at the most prestigious institutions tend to ignore the tariff, admitting students with academic qualifications in preference to those with vocational ones that are supposed to be equally valuable.

The Economist

It is conceivable that young patients with HL and poor prognostic features may enter trials in preference to those with lower-risk disease and indeed many clinical trials focus on those patients with poorer-risk disease (Hudson et al, 1993, 2004; Hutchinson et al, 1998; Friedmann et al, 2002).

British Journal of Cancer

Sturgeon again warned Labour leader Ed Miliband, who has appeared to rule out any form of post-election deal with her party, that "Labour would never be forgiven if they let the Tories back in, in preference to working with the SNP".

The Guardian

"As virtual reality becomes more realistic and immersive and is able to mimic and even improve on the experience of sex with a human partner; it is conceivable that some will choose this in preference to sex with a less than perfect human being," Dr Driscoll added, "People may also begin to fall in love with their virtual reality partners".

Independent

McCauley's tenure as CAS saw the beginning of a trend for the RAAF to equip with US aircraft types in preference to British types, with recommendations being put forward for the F-104 Starfighter (though in the event the French Dassault Mirage III was purchased) and C-130 Hercules.

Wikipedia

Diab et al. [115] induced cracking in fatigue tests and showed that older bone formed linear microcracks in preference to diffuse damage with an exponential decrease in fatigue life with age.

Bone

We find that in 281/287 families, RNA models are selected in preference to nucleotide models, with simple 7-state RNA modelselecteded for more conserved families with shorter stems and more complex 16-state RNA models selected for more divergent families with longer stems.

Genome Biology and Evolution

These data provide a rationale for immediate transplantation in preference to extended treatment with IFN-alpha when the patient is < or = 50 years of age and has an HLA-compatible unrelated volunteer donor.

Duke University

<DE8> So, women described accessing A&E in preference to primary care, with some women reporting then perceived lack of care from A&E. <DE9> Many women described how they did not seek help when they first experienced symptoms, rather waiting until they felt seriously unwell and sought urgent care.

BMC Family Practice

The American linguist Paul Benedict brought in material from other Sino-Tibetan languages and laid down the rule that the comparative linguist should accept perfect phonetic correspondences with inexact though close semantic equivalences in preference to perfect semantic equivalences with questionable phonetic correspondences.

Britannica

Carbon monoxide's toxicity is a consequence of its absorption by red blood cells in preference to oxygen, thus interfering with the transport of oxygen from the lungs to the tissues, in which it is required.

Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When expressing a preference, use the correct phrase "in preference to" or consider simpler alternatives like "rather than" or "instead of" for clarity.

Common error

Do not add "with" after "in preference to". The correct prepositional phrase is "in preference to", which already indicates a comparison between two options.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "in preference to with" is grammatically incorrect. The correct form, as indicated by Ludwig, is simply "in preference to", which functions as a prepositional phrase indicating a choice or selection of one thing over another.

Expression frequency: Missing

Frequent in

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Less common in

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Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "in preference to with" is grammatically incorrect and should not be used. As confirmed by Ludwig, the correct phrase is "in preference to", which serves to indicate a preference between two options. Simpler alternatives like "instead of" or "rather than" may also be suitable. Given the lack of correct usage examples, it is crucial to avoid this construction and opt for grammatically sound alternatives to effectively convey the intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

in preference to

Omits the unnecessary "with", resulting in a correct prepositional phrase indicating choice.

rather than

A common alternative to "in preference to", providing a straightforward way to express a preference.

instead of

Offers a simpler and more direct way to indicate a substitution or preference.

as opposed to

Similar to "rather than", it highlights a contrast or opposition between choices.

in lieu of

A more formal alternative, suggesting something is being offered or taken in place of something else.

preferring

Uses a gerund to indicate preference in a more concise manner.

favoring

Similar to "preferring", indicating a leaning towards one option.

opting for

Emphasizes the act of choosing one option over another.

choosing

A basic and direct way to express the selection of one option.

selecting

Similar to "choosing", but may imply a more deliberate or careful decision.

FAQs

How should I correctly use "in preference to" in a sentence?

Use "in preference to" to show that you prefer one thing over another. For example: "I chose tea "in preference to" coffee."

What's a simpler way to express "in preference to"?

You can use phrases like "instead of" or "rather than" to convey the same meaning more directly.

Is "in preference of" a correct alternative to "in preference to"?

No, "in preference of" is incorrect. The correct preposition is "to", making the phrase ""in preference to"".

Can I use "in lieu of" similarly to "in preference to"?

"In lieu of" can be used to mean "instead of" or "in place of", which is similar to ""in preference to"", but it often implies a more formal or official substitution.