verb (used without object),leaned or (especially British) leant;lean·ing.
to incline or bend from a vertical position: She leaned out the window.
to incline, as in a particular direction; slant: The post leans to the left. The building leaned sharply before renovation.
to incline in feeling, opinion, action, etc.: to lean toward socialism.
to rest against or on something for support: to lean against a wall.
to depend or rely (usually followed by on or upon): someone he could lean on in an emergency.
verb (used with object),leaned or (especially British) leant;lean·ing.
to incline or bend: He leaned his head forward.
to cause to lean or rest; prop: to lean a chair against the railing.
noun
the act or state of leaning; inclination: The tower has a pronounced lean.
Verb Phrases
lean in,
to shift one's body weight forward or toward someone or something: He stood near home plate and leaned in for the pitch.
to embrace risk, be assertive, etc., as to achieve the greatest level of success in the workplace: She really knows how to lean in—she'll have a corner office before long.
lean on,Informal.
to exert influence or pressure on in order to gain cooperation, maintain discipline, or the like: The state is leaning on the company to clean up its industrial wastes.
to criticize, reprimand, or punish: I would have enjoyed school more if the teachers hadn't leaned on me so much.
Idioms for lean
lean over backward(s). bend1 (def. 21).
Origin of lean
1
before 900; Middle English lenen,Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with G. lehnen; akin to Latin clīnāre to incline, Greek klī́nein
He added that deGrom combines an ideally long, lean pitching build with exceptional mechanics.
Jacob DeGrom Just Keeps Throwing Faster|Travis Sawchik|September 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
The view that mail-in ballots are rife with voter fraud is most widely held among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents who use only Fox News Channel or talk radio as their main sources of political news.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
We learned to lean in with our partners to help provide Honda with a credible voice.
‘A credible voice’: Why Honda is doubling down on esports|Lara O'Reilly|September 16, 2020|Digiday
So CEO Tim Cook and his team leaned hard on the company’s smartwatch to build excitement.
Two new Apple Watches announced at Apple’s ‘Time Flies’ event|Aaron Pressman|September 15, 2020|Fortune
For almost two months, from a few weeks before the team dealt Capela to a few weeks after it had fully leaned into that short-ball style, Westbrook was fantastic.
Everything Should Be On The Table For The Houston Rockets. Even James Harden’s Future.|Chris Herring (chris.herring@fivethirtyeight.com)|September 14, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
In 2012, as a 10th grader, Lean says he recorded his first legitimate song, “Hurt.”
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The trio formed the Sad Boys collective, with Sherm and Gud on production and Lean manning the mic.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We broke off shortly after because we were more ambitious,” says Lean.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’|Marlow Stern|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Our squadron doctor was lean, well muscled, square jawed and blond.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Fully 88 percent of us either identify outright or lean to a party, 47 percent Democrat and 41 percent Republican.
Reality Check: There Are No Swing Voters|Goldie Taylor|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"'Cause if I lean back against the cushion my feet won't touch the stool," she said.
Daisy's Work|Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews
His dark, scowling face and lean body still bore a military air.
Police Your Planet|Lester del Rey
Naturally she was disposed to lean upon her grandfather, but he utterly failed her.
The Frontiersmen|Charles Egbert Craddock
Richard Wagner made a living, during four lean years, arranging Italian opera arias for the cornet.
Damn!|Henry Louis Mencken
Slightly to one side, the sleek line of a British cruiser was visible, and beyond it a trio of lean, wolfish destroyers.
The Caves of Fear|John Blaine
British Dictionary definitions for lean (1 of 3)
lean1
/ (liːn) /
verbleans, leaning, leanedorleant
(foll by against, on, or upon) to rest or cause to rest against a support
to incline or cause to incline from a vertical position
(intr; foll by to or towards)to have or express a tendency or leaning
lean over backwardsinformalto make a special effort, esp in order to please
noun
the condition of inclining from a vertical position
See also lean on
Word Origin for lean
Old English hleonian, hlinian; related to Old High German hlinēn, Latin clīnāre to incline
British Dictionary definitions for lean (2 of 3)
lean2
/ (liːn) /
adjective
(esp of a person or an animal) having no surplus flesh or bulk; not fat or plump
not bulky or full
(of meat) having little or no fat
not rich, abundant, or satisfying
(of a mixture of fuel and air) containing insufficient fuel and too much aira lean mixture
(of printer's type) having a thin appearance
(of a paint) containing relatively little oil
(of an ore) not having a high mineral content
(of concrete) made with a small amount of cement
noun
the part of meat that contains little or no fat
Derived forms of lean
leanly, adverbleanness, noun
Word Origin for lean
Old English hlǣne, of Germanic origin
British Dictionary definitions for lean (3 of 3)
Lean
/ (liːn) /
noun
Sir David. 1908–91, English film director. His films include In Which We Serve (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945), Brief Encounter (1946), Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Dr Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984)
What Does The Phrase “Lean In” Mean?You can thank Sheryl Sandberg for popularizing the phrase "lean in." Turns out it has been used for years in different ways, but has exploded in use now.