Word · Frequency #20130
preening
用喙梳理；用嘴整理（羽毛）
preening is the present participle of preen.
clean or smooth (feathers) with the bill
- 1.
To pin; fasten.
别住；固定
- 2.
To groom; to trim or dress the feathers with the beak.
(鸟)用喙梳理羽毛
- 3.
To spend time making oneself attractive and admiring one's appearance, e.g. in front of a mirror.
精心打扮并欣赏自己
- 4.
To show off, posture, or smarm.
炫耀；装腔作势
- 5.
To flatter.
奉承
- 6.
To comb; to make orderly.
梳理；使整齐
- 7.
To trim up, as trees.
修剪(树木)
- 8.
To improve the appearance of; groom; prettify.
美化；打扮
精心打扮；仔细梳洗；自鸣得意；自我庆贺；别住；固定；(鸟)用喙梳理羽毛；精心打扮并欣赏自己
In use
The sparrow landed on the branch and began to preen its feathers.
She spent a long time preening in front of the mirror before the dinner party.
The peacock preened itself in the morning sun, spreading its colorful tail.
preen (one's feathers)
用于鸟类时，preen 后常接 feathers 或反身代词，表示用喙梳理羽毛。
The bird preens its feathers every morning.
这只鸟每天早晨用喙整理羽毛。
preen oneself
用于人时含贬义或戏谑意味，暗示过分注重外表。
She spent an hour preening herself before the party.
她在聚会前花了一小时精心打扮。
preen oneself on/over sth
on 或 over 后接成就或优点，常带自满色彩。
Connections
Collocations
- preen its feathers
- （鸟）用喙梳理羽毛
- The swan stopped to preen its feathers.天鹅停下来用喙梳理羽毛。
- preen oneself on
- 因……而沾沾自喜
- He preened himself on his excellent exam results.他为自己优异的考试成绩而沾沾自喜。
- preen before the mirror
- 在镜子前精心打扮
- He spent a long time preening before the mirror.他在镜子前花了好长时间精心打扮。
- preen with pride
- 得意洋洋；趾高气扬
- She preened with pride when the audience applauded.观众鼓掌时，她得意洋洋。
Idioms & figurative uses
- preen oneself on/upon something
- 因……感到自豪；因……沾沾自喜She preened herself on winning the award.
Learner notes
Memory Tip
把 preen 想成鸟用喙（p 像喙）认真整理羽毛，理完还要打扮自夸：梳理、打扮、得意，三步联想记住它。
Context & Register
语域：mixed 常见场景：bird grooming、self-congratulation、careful dressing up preen 的语体随语境变化：描述鸟类用喙整理羽毛时属于中性表达；用于人表示“精心打扮”或“自我庆贺”时，多带有正式或轻微揶揄的语气，日常口语中不算常见。通常较常见于书面描述或文学语境。
Grammar Note
表示“自鸣得意”时，常用反身代词 oneself 作宾语，如 preen oneself。
Pronunciation & Spelling
与 preen /priːn/ 真正押韵（/iːn/）的有 green、queen、seen、keen、teen 以及 between /bɪˈtwiːn/。注意 been 拼写相同，但通常读 /bɪn/，与 preen 不押韵，是拼写相似但发音不同的词。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.