leaned (toward or towards)

verb

past tense of lean (toward or towards)
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaned (toward or towards)
  1. preferred
  2. liked
  3. enjoyed
  4. favored
Verb
  • The researchers did not find equivalent evidence that introverted participants preferred an introverted AI.
    — Paul Jones, Scientific American, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Germany, meanwhile, has historically preferred to spend money on satellites, scientific missions, and payloads.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of preferred
Verb
  • Joseph also was known as an executive who liked to get into the weeds.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Gasper’s father, also named Mickey, had grown up rooting for the Yankees in New Jersey, so Gasper liked them, too.
    — Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of liked
Verb
  • Detroit enjoyed a historic regular season thanks in large part to Duren’s contributions.
    — Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Based on findings published in the journal Science Advances, some communities in present-day Indonesia enjoyed the effects of betel nuts as long as 25,000 years ago.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of enjoyed
Verb
  • It was not favored by critics, although Scream fans remain somewhat loyal.
    — Michael Lee Simpson, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Talarico has favored higher taxes on wealthier households and the two ads seek to portray him as seeking tax hikes more broadly while claiming that Paxton would give tax breaks to first-time homebuyers and families with children.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of favored
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.

Browse Nearby Words

leaned (on or against)
leaned (toward or towards)
leaning
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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 12 Sep. 2026.

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