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)
  1. prefers
  2. likes
  3. favors
  4. enjoys
Verb
  • Commentary and opinion Of course the government should regulate AI, but not the way the AI industry prefers, argues columnist Michael Hiltzik.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The best work usually looks like nothing happened, which is exactly why so much of the industry prefers the kind of work that looks busy.
    — Angelica Kopec, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of prefers
Verb
  • Sanabria likes to point out that no one currently sitting on the City Commission has endorsed him.
    — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Widow’s Bay co-stars Kate O’Flynn as Patricia Moyer, a social outcast who works as Tom’s assistant and is convinced no one likes her — in part because very few people do.
    — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of likes
Verb
  • The tensions have been a setback for Lee, who favors engagement with North Korea and has tempered his rhetoric toward the North even as public anger grows over the mine blasts.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The restaurant’s most distinctive plates can be hard to spot on a menu that favors familiar choices; diners may need Pirshirazi’s guidance to find them.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of favors
Verb
  • Much of the coast enjoys a Mediterranean climate that keeps temperatures mild year-round.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In contrast, the United States borders two benign neighbors and enjoys open sailing on two vast oceans.
    — Robert B. Zoellick, Foreign Affairs, 9 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

“Leans (toward or towards).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leans%20%28toward%20or%20towards%29. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All