preen

One could preen virtuously after trundling to a local boutique instead of ordering from a faraway online behemoth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Maybe it’s happiest tucked into a cast-iron skillet, going golden and jammy while the showier types preen in their baskets.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2025

It might be a bank holiday in the UK, but for the designers, publicists and PAs, it'll be an extraordinarily busy day as they preen and prepare their stars to walk the grand staircase.

From BBC ● May 4, 2025

Foster wasn’t the only coach who could preen.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2024

But this wasn’t the time to gloat or preen, or even to relax.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Rikers is in a city that preens about its progressiveness.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2023

Sometimes his comic instincts do pay off, as when Thor, Jane and friends crash a neo-Olympian, Vegas-ready paradise called Omnipotence City, where Crowe’s Zeus preens, prances and speaks in a hilariously awful Greek accent.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2022

Davis preens as Mr. Calpito keeps his own legs suspended an inch off the ground for an excruciating amount of time and tells you that you should be doing the same.

From New York Times ● May 26, 2020

Robotnik preens, seethes, and contorts his face to spit out condescending sarcasm with all the psychology of a Saturday morning cartoon baddie.

From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2020

“Methinks she preens her feathers just for me,” Guildenstern boasted.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

So if you happen to raise an orphan like we did with Alfie, that desire to be preened is very relatable.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2023

During a 21-point loss in March to the Clippers that clinched the Clippers’ sweep of their four-game season series, Clippers guard Reggie Jackson danced and preened and crowed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 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

Before the premiere, Mr. Jackson and Mr. Hardwick preened for photographs but entertained questions only from television reporters.

From New York Times ● Aug. 21, 2019

He preened himself, then asked the question again, this time in a coaxing tone.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

The contrast between the quiet, humble Messi and the preening, ostentatious Ronaldo has defined soccer in recent times and certainly fueled its growth and popularity in the U.S. and parts of Asia.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

First they came for the preening, powdered popinjays of television news, but I did not speak out because I am not a popinjay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026

But it’s tricky to maintain a balance between eliciting sympathy for the central duo and making sport of them, in all their preening garishness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 10, 2025

Many were motionless, while others perched on rocks preening their feathers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025

When the dragon had finally sated its hunger, it sat on Jeremy's desk, preening its scales with its beaky nose.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville