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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Hollywood is divided on the deals, with some preferring Netflix because of its public commitments and a relative lack of overlap with WBD, and others Paramount, given David Ellison’s professed love for the business.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Feb. 2026 -
Imanaga opted not to play for Japan in the World Baseball Classic this year, preferring to stay with the Cubs and hone his stuff over the next four weeks of exhibition games.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Minaj’s Saturday post had significant reach on the X platform, with 14,000-plus comments and more than 117,000 users liking it as of Monday afternoon.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Feb. 2026
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So maybe there’s another surprise at quarterback somewhere across the landscape over the next few months, and maybe teams will end up liking the passing prospects in the 2026 draft more than early projections suggest.—
Zac Jackson,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The requirement was intended to prevent broadcasters from favoring one candidate over another and to foster robust political debate that would serve the public interest.—
Seth Ashley,
The Conversation,
22 Feb. 2026
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Activists say favoring coal makes little sense at a time when renewables are cleaner, cheaper and reliable.—
Michael Phillis,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Winners will serve as island custodians, agreeing to basic stewardship responsibilities while enjoying peace, nature, and nearby local communities.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Feb. 2026
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Working parents may not be able to carve out the time needed for things like unstructured play or simply enjoying downtime with their kids.—
Alex Vance,
Parents,
25 Feb. 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 Mar. 2026.
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