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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of preen
Hard to compare anything to a president of the most powerful country in the world preening about getting a $400 million jet from a little country on the other side of the world.
—
Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 17 May 2025
Much like his previous turn in Purple Noon, as Jean-Paul Delon embodies the preening narcissist whose barely concealed vulnerability and jealousy lead him to murder a rival.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Ferrell's Ricky Bobby also serves as a pitch-perfect parody of the ego-driven, preening male protagonists of many a racing film.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 20 May 2025
The tall, elegant birds preened their colorful feathers and posed for the cameras, enjoying the mildly sunny day.
—Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preen
Joe Soucheray, Twin Cities, 17 May 2025
Much like his previous turn in Purple Noon, as Jean-Paul Delon embodies the preening narcissist whose barely concealed vulnerability and jealousy lead him to murder a rival.
—Erik Morse, Vogue, 26 June 2025
Ferrell's Ricky Bobby also serves as a pitch-perfect parody of the ego-driven, preening male protagonists of many a racing film.
—James Mercadante, EW.com, 20 May 2025
The tall, elegant birds preened their colorful feathers and posed for the cameras, enjoying the mildly sunny day.
—Alex Schechter, Travel + Leisure, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for preen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for preen
Verb
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Nina not being there contributed to one of the most irritating moments in this season so far, with Antonio smugly blowing a kiss into the camera for her and gloating about being in the top after her harsh critique last week.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
29 Aug. 2025
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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison gloated about his lawsuit against President Donald Trump's Department of Justice, which aims to protect the rights of biological males to compete in girls' sports in his state.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Handlers at the 2024 National Dog Show Presented by Purina spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about getting different breeds ready for the big event and the amount of primping required.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
28 Nov. 2024
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Photographed by Clémence Polès The next couple of hours felt like a rom-com montage—a bunch of girls playing, primping, and posing for pictures.—
Jessie Heyman,
Vogue,
15 Oct. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
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Harsh critics see it (rightly so, perhaps) as having little to no story, while fans love to exult in the silly CGI spectacles.—
Chris Snellgrove,
EW.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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Ulla’s parents had exulted in Cancún because of the exchange rate; Sunny remembered a previous conversation about how they’d been excited to eat four tacos for a dollar twenty-five.—
Kiran Desai,
New Yorker,
3 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Preen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/preen. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
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