as in preferred
to be drawn or attracted
He always gravitated to the fantasy section of the bookstore. She tends to gravitate towards people who share her interest in music.
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Recent Examples of gravitated
Many Haitian families gravitated to Lemon City, one of the oldest settlements in Miami, developed in the late eighteen-hundreds and, at the time, largely populated by lemon-grove workers from the Bahamas.
—
Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
But as the practice evolved, eager writers like Jefferson and John Adams (but not George Washington or James Madison, for instance), gravitated to a richer, sympathy-bearing idiom, which no doubt bled into intimate speech, now lost.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
But as Duterte’s father, Vicente, had increasingly gravitated toward Malacañang, his son hung out with the family bodyguards—and crafted the persona of a rough-talking bugoy, or hoodlum, in his native Bisayan tongue.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
First steps Rhoades gravitated to writers from a young age.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Both children gravitated toward sports, following in their parents' footsteps.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026
As long has college football has been played, top players have gravitated toward places like Tennessee, only to find a slew of top recruits at the same position.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
Raised on ‘90s pop, Fard gravitated to jazz to develop as a guitarist.
—Brett Milano, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
The actions are in line with his affordability platform that New Yorkers gravitated toward during the mayoral race last year.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 2026
Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
But as the practice evolved, eager writers like Jefferson and John Adams (but not George Washington or James Madison, for instance), gravitated to a richer, sympathy-bearing idiom, which no doubt bled into intimate speech, now lost.
—Literary Hub, 29 Jan. 2026
But as Duterte’s father, Vicente, had increasingly gravitated toward Malacañang, his son hung out with the family bodyguards—and crafted the persona of a rough-talking bugoy, or hoodlum, in his native Bisayan tongue.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
First steps Rhoades gravitated to writers from a young age.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026
Both children gravitated toward sports, following in their parents' footsteps.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 25 Jan. 2026
As long has college football has been played, top players have gravitated toward places like Tennessee, only to find a slew of top recruits at the same position.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 19 Jan. 2026
Raised on ‘90s pop, Fard gravitated to jazz to develop as a guitarist.
—Brett Milano, Boston Herald, 16 Jan. 2026
The actions are in line with his affordability platform that New Yorkers gravitated toward during the mayoral race last year.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gravitated
Verb
-
Compared to its competitors, its mild taste and light texture might be preferred for a cake that is being made to support the flavor of a rich frosting or a special filling.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Drake preferred to fake out a defender and run right by them.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
King tended to get a lot of Amazon boxes delivered.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
-
And one analysis found that programs that were run by career civil servants tended to perform better than programs that were run by political appointees, all else being equal.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Anne-Sofie Madsen took winter footwear in a distinctly subversive direction, collaborating with Ugg on spiky, clawed variations of its classic boot.—
Amy O’Brien,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
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Two days after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Minnesota reportedly tackled a home caregiver from sub-Saharan Africa to the snowy pavement and took her away in a van, a close friend made the 1,400-mile journey to a controversial Texas detention facility where she’s being held.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a photo posted to Instagram and liked by Visit Fort Worth, the city’s tourism bureau, the man in question appears to be wearing makeup to darken his complexion.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
-
But Hynes liked the way the Wild handled the adversity and pushed back, with Faber scoring the tying goal seven minutes into the third.—
Joe Smith,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Others, however, such as Baker’s longtime friend Mike Homen, thought that Sacramento favored the Giants or their Triple-A affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Bessette-Kennedy favored practical shoes for moving through her neighborhood (walking the dog, running errands), reserving heels for galas and other more formal occasions.—
Julia Rabinowitsch,
Vogue,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Her appearance largely went unexplained, provoking outrage from Democrats.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Well up for the fight in front of their boisterous fans at the Estadio da Luz, however, Benfica went ahead 3-1 before half time and secured a heroic 4-2 win, plus qualification to the knockout phase playoff on goal difference, thanks to goalkeeper Anatoli Trubin’s 98th minute header.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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To that point, much of Tucker’s case against MSU could turn on how much discretion the school enjoyed in its decision-making.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Some of the sensory tools in our bins that my daughter especially enjoyed are poppers, slug fidgets, pushpeel sensory boards, and an expanding breathing ball.—
Sara Rowe Mount,
Parents,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The visitors picked their way across the rocky coastline, waving at the Islanders to move back and make space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
McKinsey found that disciplined prioritization delivers 40% more value—not because leaders picked better priorities, but because the organization had room to absorb them.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gravitated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gravitated. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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