preference
noun
uk/ˈprefərəns/ us [ C or U ]
the fact of liking or wanting one thing more than another:
preference for sth These investors had a preference for securities rather than bank deposits.
More flexibility will enable managers to redesign their floors quickly according to customer preferences.
Buying a car is a matter of personal preference.
[ U ]
an advantage or better treatment that is given to a person or a group of people:
give preference to sb/sth This small-business program gives preference to minority- and women-owned companies.
See also
Community preference
consumer preference
liquidity preference
preference
adjective
FINANCE, STOCK MARKET uk/ˈprefərəns/ usused to describe a company's shares that have the right to fixed dividends (= payments from profits) before the dividends on its ordinary shares are calculated and paid in a particular period, or in periods when dividends on these shares are not paid at all:
Nokia is to increase its capital with about $100 million of new preference stock.