lean
verb (used without object)
to incline or bend from a vertical position.
lean
1 American
[leen]
/ lin /
verb (used without object)
-
leans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaned,
past participle, past
-
leant,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
leaning
present participle
-
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 orupon ).
someone he could lean on in an emergency.
verb (used with object)
-
leans,
present (3rd person singular)
-
leaned,
past participle, past
-
leant,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
leaning
present participle
-
to incline or bend.
He leaned his head forward.
-
to cause to lean or rest; prop.
to lean a chair against the railing.
noun
verb phrase
-
lean on
-
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.
-
-
lean in
-
to shift one's body weight forward or toward someone or something.
Because Don was whispering, I had to lean in so I could hear him.
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.
-
idioms
lean
2
American
[leen]
/ lin /
adjective
-
leaner,
comparative
-
leanest
superlative
-
(of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin.
lean cattle.
- Antonyms:
- fat
-
(of edible meat) containing little or no fat.
- Antonyms:
- fat
-
lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.; poor.
a lean diet; lean years.
- Synonyms:
- jejune, unfruitful, barren, sparse
- Antonyms:
- fruitful
-
spare; economical.
a lean prose style.
-
Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with rich).
-
(of paint) having more pigment than oil.
-
Nautical. (of a bow) having fine lines; sharp.
-
Metallurgy. (of ore) having a low mineral content; low-grade.
noun
-
the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.
-
the lean part of anything.
-
Typesetting. matter that is difficult to set because of complexity or intermixed fonts.
Lean
3
American
[leen]
/ lin /
noun
lean
1
British
/ 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 air
a 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
lean
2
British
/ liːn /
verb
-
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
-
informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
noun
Lean
3
British
/ liːn /
noun
Usage
What else does lean mean? Content warning: this article contains references to drug abuse. In slang, lean is a term for prescription-strength cough syrup mixed with soft drinks and candy. It’s also known by such other names as purple drank or sizzurp.
Synonym Usage
See thin.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
leansimple
-
leanssimple
-
have leanedperfect
-
have leantperfect
-
has leanedperfect
-
has leantperfect
-
am leaningprogressive
-
are leaningprogressive
-
is leaningprogressive
-
have been leaningperfect progressive
-
has been leaningperfect progressive
Past
-
leanedsimple
-
leantsimple
-
had leanedperfect
-
had leantperfect
-
was leaningprogressive
-
were leaningprogressive
-
had been leaningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of lean1
First recorded before 900; Middle English lenen, Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with German lehnen; akin to Greek klī́nein, Latin -clīnāre “to incline ”
Origin of lean2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English lene, lein(e), Old English hlǣne
Explanation
If you lean on something, you incline your body against it, like the way you lean against a wall while waiting in line. If you lean on a person, you rely on her for moral support, like the way you lean on your best friend when you're feeling sad or worried. If you’re tired, lean back in your chair. If you’re broke, lean on your family for financial help. But something can lean all by itself, if it’s not standing straight. The famous Tower of Pisa leans at an angle of about 4 degrees. As an adjective, we use lean to describe something skimpy or lacking excess flesh. When you're experiencing financial difficulty, you could say you're going through lean (not prosperous) times.
Vocabulary lists containing lean
"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Paltry Parlance: Synonyms for "Few"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Halloween here is a wonderland, and Descanso continues to lean heavily into the fantastical, this year adding glowing wire sculptures from Helsinki-based artist Alexander Reichstein.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The company’s focus on automated services, like its Bill Pay invoicing system, also appealed to startups looking to keep things lean in a pandemic-disrupted economy.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
Beijing has so far been able to lean on stockpiles accumulated before the Iran conflict, limiting the need to buy additional crude on the international market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
After 12 weeks, those who took creatine had added nearly three pounds of lean tissue while also losing fat mass.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
As soon as she leaves and I’ve locked the door, I lean back against my headboard and open the first page of the book.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
To eliminate the Sisyphean task of formalizing all relevant mathematics from scratch every time, the Lean enthusiasts decided to create Mathlib—a library of formalized mathematics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
But even as Lean was establishing its worth, another revolution was taking place outside the halls of academia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Then Thomas Hubert of Google’s DeepMind came up with a way to improve their performance: Instead of settling for a bad “proof,” LLMs would enter their initial work product into Lean, which would provide feedback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
The mainstreaming of Lean and the inroads made by LLMs have forced mathematicians for the first time in more than a century to reckon with the fundamentals of their field.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Now your back. Lean forward and I’ll help you sit up.”
From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry
Instead of wide postwar boulevards, roads would become slower and leaner, transforming Long Beach into a top-five global cycling city, said former city traffic engineer Paul Van Dyk.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
It results in a leaner sound, and Mr. Ehrlich’s presentation highlights this by showcasing some of the music in duet settings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The move marks one of Uber's largest restructurings in years and signals a shift towards a leaner operating model.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
"A leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating," the message said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Johnny, smaller and leaner, became a proficient and scrappy fighter but never achieved his brother’s success.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
A commonly eaten meat in Australia, kangaroo is the world’s leanest protein and the equivalent of venison in America.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
It's not a lie - I was never the leanest cricketer in the world, but I won games for franchises.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2023
Because this is the leanest part of the pig, baby back ribs have very little fat, and plenty of meat to douse with copious amounts of sweet, sticky sauce.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2022
Hotels across the country are bracing for what is expected to be one of China's leanest holiday travel periods since early 2020.
From Reuters ● Apr. 29, 2022
Study after study shows that the leanest curriculums are being offered in the highest-poverty areas, despite ample evidence that this is exactly the wrong thing to do.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
The woman sitting next to me leans close.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
The global North leans toward consumer uses such as shopping, search and feedback, according to the report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Meanwhile, a level set in a council estate leans into the concrete starkness of the area's looming grey buildings.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
“In pop culture, we have introduced an entirely new fandom experience and destination that leans into things like trading cards and collectibles, but also exclusive collaborations, into one cohesive experience,” Sylvester said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Karly leans back on her chair and fakes a massive yawn.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“That Thing You Do!” had to be that good, because no fictional rock band has ever leaned harder on their hit.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Still, the woman Xi leaned on in Washington is worth watching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Clad in a blue suit and squinting at a computer screen in his office, Putin leaned forward and clicked his mouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
This is because certain coaches have leaned into the club's roots, while others have tried but failed to move away from those ideas.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
I leaned over to the right to regain myself, and when I did I accidentally dragged the hook through the snow.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Chanel's artistic director Matthieu Blazy leant into the world of whimsy and fantasy with his haute couture collection.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
Researchers said the work also leant further credence to a theory about humpback whale patterns known as the "Southern Ocean Exchange".
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
At the start of this season, City leant into the counter-attacking strengths of individuals such as Erling Haaland and Tijjani Reijnders.
From BBC ● Feb. 19, 2026
The family also claims the new authorities have leant on the courts to find them guilty.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
She leant, perhaps over his shoulder, while he read.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Both parties are trying to remedy mistakes of elections past in the hopes of winning over the Gen Z vote, launching targeted recruitment efforts, hiring more young people and leaning into social media.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
He had started leaning on Google’s AI-assisted search for other classes, like when he needed to label the parts of a volcano or write an essay about Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Right now, I’m leaning toward the Bilt card.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Facing match point at 8-9 down in the tie break, Alcaraz fired an ace before leaning on a drop shot to stave off a second.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
“Ah, jeez,” he whispered, leaning against the bathroom sink.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
