The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Prefer \Pre*fer"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Preferred; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Preferring.] [F. pr['e]f['e]rer, L. praeferre; prae
   before + ferre to bear or carry. See 1st Bear.]
   1. To carry or bring (something) forward, or before one;
      hence, to bring for consideration, acceptance, judgment,
      etc.; to offer; to present; to proffer; to address; --
      said especially of a request, prayer, petition, claim,
      charge, etc.
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            He spake, and to her hand preferred the bowl.
                                                  --Pope.
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            Presently prefer his suit to C[ae]sar. --Shak.
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            Three tongues prefer strange orisons on high.
                                                  --Byron.
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   2. To go before, or be before, in estimation; to outrank; to
      surpass. [Obs.] "Though maidenhood prefer bigamy."
      --Chaucer.
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   3. To cause to go before; hence, to advance before others, as
      to an office or dignity; to raise; to exalt; to promote;
      as, to prefer an officer to the rank of general.
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            I would prefer him to a better place. --Shak.
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   4. To set above or before something else in estimation,
      favor, or liking; to regard or honor before another; to
      hold in greater favor; to choose rather; -- often followed
      by to, before, or above.
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            If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. --Ps.
                                                  cxxxvii. 6.
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            Preferred an infamous peace before a most just war.
                                                  --Knolles.
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   Preferred stock, stock which takes a dividend before other
      capital stock; -- called also preference stock and
      preferential stock.
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   Syn: To choose; elect. See Choose.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

prefer
    v 1: like better; value more highly; "Some people prefer camping
         to staying in hotels"; "We prefer sleeping outside"
    2: select as an alternative over another; "I always choose the
       fish over the meat courses in this restaurant"; "She opted
       for the job on the East coast" [syn: choose, prefer,
       opt]
    3: promote over another; "he favors his second daughter" [syn:
       prefer, favor, favour]
    4: give preference to one creditor over another

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

108 Moby Thesaurus words for "prefer":
   advance, aggrandize, aim at, approve, be desirous of,
   be disposed to, be partial to, bring before, bring forward,
   bring up, broach, choose, choose rather, commend to attention,
   cull, desiderate, desire, discriminate, elect, elevate, embrace,
   ennoble, enter, espouse, esteem, exalt, extend, fancy, favor,
   feel about it, file, graduate, have a bias, have designs on,
   have preference, have rather, hold forth, hold out, honor before,
   incline toward, introduce, kick upstairs, knight, launch,
   lay before, lean toward, lean towards, like, like better, lodge,
   look at it, love, lust, lust after, make a motion, mark, moot,
   move, offer, offer a resolution, open up, opt for, pass, pick,
   play favorites, please, pose, postulate, prefer to, present,
   proffer, promote, propose, proposition, propound, put, put forth,
   put forward, put it to, put up, raise, rather, recommend, see fit,
   select, set before, set forth, show preference, single out, start,
   submit, suggest, take, take to, tend toward, tender, think best,
   think fit, think proper, treat unequally, up, upgrade, view, want,
   wish, wish to goodness, wish very much, would fain do