1
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of preen
Ace holds center stage, knees bent, slung low to the ground, brandishing his Gibson while Gene and Paul preen on either side of him.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
The markets react, the politicians preen, and most Americans go about their day trying to just get to the weekend around the corner.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Listen for roosters crowing and watch the roads and hay bales for hungry and preening birds.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2025
Yours include having a complex existential experience, and also, of course, foraging and preening.
—Literary Hub, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preen
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
The markets react, the politicians preen, and most Americans go about their day trying to just get to the weekend around the corner.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 6 Aug. 2025
Listen for roosters crowing and watch the roads and hay bales for hungry and preening birds.
—Natalie Krebs, Outdoor Life, 30 July 2025
Yours include having a complex existential experience, and also, of course, foraging and preening.
—Literary Hub, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preen
Verb
-
Following a violent clash that Saturday, group members circulated videos of Lang being dragged into a mob and struck over the head, gloating over the images as evidence that their counterprotest had been effective.—
Christina Buttons,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Everything is colored red there, and there are no gold fixtures to show off or gloat over.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
My introduction to Peters came late last year, when Instagram’s algorithm served me a video of him wearing a baseball cap, primping and pouting for the camera.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Murphy is obsessed with their maximalism: the richest of the rich, the most snatched of all waists, the plucked and primped and plumped and pressed.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Messi, at 35, led his country to glory against France, winning soccer’s ultimate prize in a pulsating match that finished 3-3 after extra time and had to be settled by a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC News,
19 Dec. 2022
-
If Harris can bring together a family with Indian, African, and Jewish heritage, America can glory in its diversity.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
26 Aug. 2020
Verb
-
Jenner, like her sister Kim Kardashian, has often turned to Margiela for her most major moments, with an affinity for the house’s sensual, body-exulting designs.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
30 Jan. 2026
-
And then there was CMAT, the Irish singer who has already become a European sensation, exulting in a sensational reception for her mainstage set at GJWW, which some attendees went online to cite as the most thrilling full-length performance of the weekend.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Preen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preen. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
