LEANS (TOWARD OR TOWARDS) Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

leans (toward or towards)

verb

present tense third-person singular of lean (toward or towards)

as in prefers

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 leans (toward or towards)

Verb

Get both right, build the right supporting infrastructure, and your AI starts moving with a market rather than against it, adjusting to whatever language or channel a customer prefers.

— Wendy Johnstone, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Within the waters that surround Malibu Pier a hammerhead shark, which typically prefers warmer waters than those found in Southern California, was spotted making a few circles in the ocean.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of prefers

Verb

Brower and Simone covered the floor around their refrigerator -- where Primrose likes to perch and poop -- with birdcage liner.

— KYLE MELNICK THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026
DawgNation’s Mike Griffith likes the Bulldogs to cover, despite Vandy’s plan to stop Georgia’s running game.

— Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of likes

Verb

In the 1920s, mathematician Alfred Lotka argued that evolution favors whatever captures and puts to use the most energy.

— Canan Karakoç, The Conversation, 28 Sep. 2026
Many residents, community leaders and experts say that the current approach — which favors armed confrontations between police and the groups — is inefficient and often results in indiscriminate loss of life.

— ABC News, ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of favors

Verb

And among recent film offerings are movie shot locally as the Garden State enjoys a Hollywood production boom underpinned by film tax credits and other state incentives and local hires.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 3 Oct. 2026
Staying away would mean accepting that people living through war, displacement and climate disaster become the last to benefit from technologies everyone else enjoys.

— Jeannie Annan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of enjoys

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

leans (on or against)

leans (toward or towards)

lean-to

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Leans (toward or towards).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leans%20%28toward%20or%20towards%29. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of leans (toward or towards)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perseverate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes