as in preferred
to show partiality toward
I'm leaning toward sausage on our pizza tonight—we got pepperoni the last three times
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaned (toward or towards)
Verb
-
The rest of us preferred to order our own entrées.—
Jacobina Martin,
Washington Post,
12 May 2026 -
The rest of us preferred to order our own entrees.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Her middle-school sister Nicole also liked the family outing.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
-
What Darcy liked best was to be left alone with a pile of books in a quiet room.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Woodward and McNeela are both captains who enjoyed Marist’s celebration on senior night.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
12 May 2026
-
The chickens had indeed been attacked by a coyote, a juvenile who’d never before enjoyed the pleasures of the coop.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
This is why the Knicks are favored to make the NBA Finals.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Progressive groups said that report failed to document systemic discrimination, focused on causes favored by conservative Christians and amounted to advocacy rather than an investigation.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Leaned (toward or towards).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaned%20%28toward%20or%20towards%29. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
