ALL meanings of preen
preen
P p - verb with object preen (of animals, especially birds) to trim or dress (feathers, fur, etc.) with the beak or tongue: The peacock preened itself on the lawn. 1
- verb with object preen to dress (oneself) carefully or smartly; primp: The king preened himself in his elaborate ceremonial robes. 1
- verb with object preen to pride (oneself) on an achievement, personal quality, etc.: He preened himself on having been graduated with honors. 1
- verb without object preen to make oneself appear striking or smart in dress or appearance: No amount of careful preening will compensate for poor posture. 1
- verb without object preen to be exultant or proud. 1
- noun preen a pin or brooch. 1
- intransitive verb preen animal: groom itself 1
- transitive verb preen groom: fur or feathers 1
- intransitive verb preen person: be vain 1
- verb preen If someone preens themselves, they spend a lot of time making themselves look neat and attractive; used especially if you want to show that you disapprove of this behaviour or that you find it ridiculous and amusing. 0
- verb preen If someone preens, they think in a pleased way about how attractive, clever, or good at something they are. 0
- verb preen When birds preen their feathers, they clean them and arrange them neatly using their beaks. 0
- verb preen (of birds) to maintain (feathers) in a healthy condition by arrangement, cleaning, and other contact with the bill 0
- verb preen to dress or array (oneself) carefully; primp 0
- verb preen to pride or congratulate (oneself) 0
- noun preen a pin, esp a decorative one 0
- verb transitive preen to clean and trim (the feathers) with the beak 0
- verb transitive preen to make (oneself) trim; dress up or adorn (oneself) 0
- verb transitive preen to show satisfaction with or vanity in (oneself) 0
- intransitive verb preen to dress up in a fussy way; prink or primp 0