preen

These days, pastel and fluorescent birds groom, preen and bicker in enclosures behind the home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 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

His middle school pals call him “Wang Wang,” one of a few silly monikers among his longtime friend group, who preen and posture beyond their years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2024

I prance from rack to rack, I preen.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Rikers is in a city that preens about its progressiveness.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 3, 2023

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

A background performer in a hat draped with ivy sways to disco music while another in gold chain flaps preens in his fringed jacket.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2019

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

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

He preened, he hugged, he shook hands and hobnobbed with legends and politicians.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2024

Jeudy pranced and preened in a squabble with Smith, the former Panthers star receiver and current NFL Network analyst, prior to the Broncos’ 19-8 loss at Kansas City last week.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 20, 2023

Some guests — who preened in eye-popping colors, aggressive patterns, velvet slippers and stiletto heels — were art-struck.

From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 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

Although a creature of the wilds it had a leaning towards civilisation, and preened and smiled in a jam-jar in some cottage window without resentment, living quite a week if given water.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier

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

When they film themselves preening on their phones, with the images projected onto the giant mirrors, Claire and Solange use filters that turn their sallow, pinched faces into plump-lipped, high-cheekboned ones that suggest Kim Kardashian.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026

He was preening for the press, warming to another of his vicious, incoherent jeremiads when his Canadian host suggested he join the others in a bit of work.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2025

That last is a sly point that’s been an enduring comic take of Hitler’s artistic preening.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2025

The next morning, Jeremy found Tiamat sitting on his desk, preening her burnished scales.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville