How to Use preen in a Sentence

preen

verb

• Rick would likely preen it over the course of many days.
  — Anchorage Daily News, 8 May 2021
• From the fish tanks come the Dungeness crabs and whorls of eel, the flesh fluffy and preening from the heat of the wok.
  — Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2017
• Using his tongue, the parrot holds the small stone in place to preen his plumage.
  — David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Sep. 2021
• And Schiff preens, makes speeches about virtue and shows no shame.
  — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, 12 Dec. 2019
• When the tape ended, Lefty sat in that courtroom and preened.
  — Jimmy Breslin, Esquire, 20 Mar. 2017
• Watching Lil Nas X pose and preen on his walk to the stage was more fun than most of the night’s music.
  — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2022
• Both Jordan and David are eager to preen for the cameras.
  — Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, 26 June 2018
• Aware of her own legend without needing to preen over it, Lum has warmed to the idea.
  — Jonathan Kauffman, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Nov. 2017
• While patiently waiting for a food clue, the birds will preen.
  — Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 25 Aug. 2020
• Smoked meat hung from the ceiling, and chickens preened beneath her bed.
  — Jonathan Kaiman, latimes.com, 16 Aug. 2017
• Peace-Park is a place crowded with the youth, many of the women in full make-up, the young men preening in their best outfits.
  — TIME.com, 19 Oct. 2017
• And Brand will preen and prance and shake his bells, proclaiming the void within him, which is the void within us all.
  — James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 June 2018
• Flamingos on the Loose A pair of greater flamingos preening their feathers in France.
  — Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 13 Mar. 2023
• When this reporter noted that the one-in-a-million cardinal has the right to preen a bit, Chelsea agreed.
  — al, 9 Mar. 2021
• It was thought the peacock might have been preening in the shiny reflection of the vehicle.
  — Carol Cormaci, latimes.com, 9 July 2018
• Another, dressed in an ice-blue peignoir, petted a stuffed lap dog with one hand and preened with the other.
  — Jenna Wortham, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2018
• Each one will be groomed and pampered, allowed a few snacks and even a nap or two, and then poked and prodded and allowed to preen.
  — New York Times, 12 Feb. 2020
• Up above, ministers preened and fretted over the lack of snowfall.
  — Andrew Roth, Washington Post, 28 Jan. 2018
• In complying with that final edict, Foles does not strut or preen.
  — Ben Shpigel, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2018
• Birds also preen to distribute oil to their feathers from what is called the preen gland, located at the base of the tail.
  — Jim Williams, Star Tribune, 25 Aug. 2020
• Most teams have a player or two -- or three -- who'll flop and preen and play-act like babies, hoping to get a little help from the ref.
  — Steve Almasy, CNN, 13 June 2018
• McDaniel wasn’t invited to preen with the other stars, and wasn’t even mentioned in the program.
  — Kyle Smith, National Review, 14 Apr. 2021
• No one comes to preen and promote, and failing to listen is a cardinal sin.
  — Nicole Blackwood, chicagotribune.com, 25 June 2019
• The goose will preen her ponytail while vocalizing with a playlist of notes and volumes.
  — Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, 24 Nov. 2021
• The winning prize includes $1,500, a trophy, and a flight to New York for media appearances where the pup can preen at last.
  — Raisa Bruner, Time, 23 June 2017
• Other college coaches preen and scream on the sidelines.
  — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 1 Oct. 2023
• Pack the sunscreen and preen those feathers: The Dirtybird Campout is back and bigger than ever.
  — Kat Bein, Billboard, 11 July 2017
• It’s Friday (!), and the gray New York sky does not bode well for the preening baby succulents on my windowsill.
  — Rebecca Keegan, HWD, 21 Apr. 2017
• The Wall preened for magazine pictorials and played the heavy in spy novels.
  — Time, 8 Nov. 2019
• Before the game and at halftime, about two dozen players preened, waved and danced in front of Arizona State’s student section.
  — Zach Helfand, latimes.com, 29 Oct. 2017

Last Updated: 27 Jun 2024