preen
verb (used with object)
(of animals, especially birds) to trim or dress (feathers, fur, etc.) with the beak or tongue.
preened
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past participleof preen.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof preen.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
preenverb (used with object)(of animals, especially birds) to trim or dress (feathers, fur, etc.) with the beak or tongue.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While that character, Fleur, primped and preened for an imagined camera as if on a livestream, she bragged about her “social media fluency” on an address to a “royal hiring academy.”
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
With a singular presence and a deeply personal cadence, he preened and strode, quipped, opined, demanded and screamed into many, many telephones.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2022
The performances viewers see are not mimed to a studio recording that was made in advance and preened to perfection with editing.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2021
He preened about how scientific experts marveled at his grasp of the complex details of virology and the way supposedly awestruck doctors asked, "How do you know so much?"
From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2020
The lilac bushes preened at the railing, but there were no lilacs yet.
From "Sula" by Toni Morrison
