leaning (toward or towards)

verb

Definition of leaning (toward or towards)next
present participle of lean (toward or towards)
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaning (toward or towards)
  1. preferring
  2. liking
  3. favoring
  4. enjoying
Verb
  • Rota chose to live in Southern Italy, in Bari, preferring it to his native Milan and Rome, the country’s capital of cinema.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
  • He is listed at a slight 5-foot-11 and 172 pounds, with many NHL evaluators preferring bigger centers.
    — Vincent Z. Mercogliano, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of preferring
Verb
  • Germany has a different reason for liking the early dismissal.
    — Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Those pairs would also align with Babcock’s liking for offensive-minded puck-movers on their strong side.
    — Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of liking
Verb
  • Finally, regarding Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, his tone has skewed dovish in recent months, favoring a wait-and-see approach to the impact of the Middle East conflict.
    — , CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But overall the slate of projects has shifted toward heavily favoring superhero men while removing or declining superhero women.
    — Mark Hughes, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of favoring
Verb
  • Enzo Maresca has brought more composure to their in-possession play, with City enjoying 69 per cent possession, an increase on the 53 per cent average from the final two league games of 2025-26.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • While neither of these experiences is essential to enjoying your stay, the additional charges do chip away at the all-inclusive promise.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of enjoying
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

leanings
leaning (toward or towards)
leanness
See all Nearby Words

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 5 Sep. 2026.

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