- present participle of lean.
leaning
Americannoun
-
leanings
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leaning
First recorded before 1000; Middle English leninge, Old English hlining; lean 1 + -ing 1
Vocabulary lists containing leaning
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:
The younger Bush was different, leaning into his sun-baked upbringing while keeping one boot firmly back East.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
In general, I hold that duality a lot — sonically leaning into joy and movement and dance, and then lyrically being in the shadow and focusing on the transformation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
McClary says leaning into MySpace's music identity could be a smart move, from profile songs to 2000s-themed festivals and merchandise.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
I was leaning toward a Hyatt Place near Heathrow to earn points and loyalty perks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
I felt as if we were two small trees standing beside each other, leaning towards each other, our branches and twigs starting to entwine, bonded by our secret and by our growing friendship.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
Whatever Warsh’s leanings, economists also point out that he is just one voter on a 12-member committee that sets the key U.S. interest rate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
In reality, if you watch Herrera’s content, there’s no indication he’s sincere in his Nazi leanings.
From Slate ● Mar. 9, 2026
Two Damascus-based diplomats said thousands had left al-Hol in recent weeks, raising alarm that people with extremist leanings could be moving around Syria or trying to leave the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
Complaints about Copland’s leftist leanings pressured Eisenhower to cancel the performance, but left inklings in Ike’s mind that the nation needed a performing arts center in Washington, D.C.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
In Berlin, he knew, an ambitious liberal democracy with socialist leanings was shedding the husk of its past and guiding the birth of a new republic in the thirties.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
