favoring
Looking like somebody, or babying an hurt side.
Also called favor, favors.
Updated September 21, 2026
favoring pronunciation
/FAY-vuh-rin/
Meaning
Two porch uses share this word. Favoring somebody means you take after them in the face or ways: that boy is favoring his daddy. Favoring a leg or arm means you are protecting the sore side and leaning on the good one. Same root verb, different chore.
How folks use it
- “That young'un is favoring his granddaddy something fierce.”
- “He's been favoring that right knee since he stepped in the hole.”
Origin and etymology
Favor for "resemble" is old English sense kept alive as chiefly Southern talk. Dictionaries still mark it that way. The injury sense grew from favoring as treating something careful. Rural Southern and Appalachian speech uses both, often with the -ing form when somebody is mid-limp or mid-comparison.
Frequently asked questions
Does favoring always mean looking alike?
No. If somebody is favoring a leg, they are hurt and protecting it. If they are favoring kin, they look or act like them.