as in preferring
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 leaning (toward or towards)
Verb
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Two officials dissented from Wednesday’s decision, with Governors Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller preferring another quarter-point reduction.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026 -
Two officials dissented from the decision, with Governors Stephen Miran and Christopher Waller preferring another quarter-point reduction.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The answer is, not very, although at least liking lesbians enough to laugh with and not at their culture surely counts as a prerequisite.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
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The outlet reported that Victoria breached the legal letter by liking an Instagram post and that's why Brooklyn ultimately decided to block both of his parents on social media.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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While tax changes favoring seniors are often aimed at encouraging residents to live in certain states, research from the University of New Hampshire and others has found that those tax breaks do not necessarily influence those decisions.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
26 Jan. 2026
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Currently, Lawrence seems to be rotating through a select number of winter outerwear, highly favoring a butter yellow robe coat and cropped leopard faux fur jacket by Jacquemus.—
Emily Tannenbaum,
Glamour,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The strength that the NFL is enjoying this year is in sharp contrast to the string of PR nightmares that the league faced not so long ago.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
28 Jan. 2026
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Unlike many of the other luxury hotels in Tokyo, the Ritz-Carlton has a sizable Japanese clientele—both businessmen and domestic travelers enjoying some Tokyo time.—
Brandon Presser,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Leaning (toward or towards).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaning%20%28toward%20or%20towards%29. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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