''druthers'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260817185222-00-⌔

druthers - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

druthers pl (plural only)

• (US, informal, often humorous) Wishes, preferences.
  • ✤ “If I had my druthers, I would not be a king. I’d druther be just what I am than any other thing.”¹
  • ✤ “If you had your druthers —” Old Lew was always saying, “If I had my druthers, gimme one of them there Shevrolics.”²
  • ✤ “If I had my druthers,” he informs us, “I’druther be myself — not because I’m anythin’ special, just because it’s convenient.”³
  • ✤ “You were a little to the right, Mr. Finch,” he called.
    “Always was,” answered Atticus. “If I had my ‘druthers I’d take a shotgun.”⁴
  • ✤ If I’d had my “druthers,” our engagement would not have been two and one half years long. But schooling made our druthers invalid.⁵
  • ✤ If I had my “druthers,” I’d screw a chimpanzee. Call it, pointless.⁶

Etymology

From the expression I’d rather (“I would prefer to”), often pronounced “I druther” in some dialects.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA: /ˈdɹʌðɚz/
• Audio (US): 🔊

Printed 2026-08-17.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. 1929, Harry McClintock, “If I Had My Druthers” ‎${}^{[1]}$: ↩

2. 1950, Alice Walworth Graham, The Natchez Woman: ↩

3. 1957, Society of Arts and Crafts, Theatre Arts, volume 41, page 29: ↩

4. 1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC: ↩

5. 1977, Carole Mayhall, From the Heart of a Woman: ↩

6. 1993, Les Claypool, DMV: ↩