Mechanics. a rigid bar that pivots about one point and that is used to move an object at a second point by a force applied at a third.
a tool, as a pry or a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage.
There's a small lever in my toolbox that'll be perfect for prying off these narrow moldings.
a handle or bar that is manipulated to operate, control, or adjust a machine, mechanism, etc..
Pushing down the lever on the left will automatically open the door.
a means or agency of persuading or of achieving an end.
Saying that the chairman of the board likes the plan is just a lever to get us to support it.
Horology. the pallet of an escapement.
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum, used to transfer a force to a load and usually to provide a mechanical advantage
any of a number of mechanical devices employing this principle
a means of exerting pressure in order to accomplish something; strategic aid
A simple machine consisting of a bar that pivots on a fixed support, or fulcrum, and is used to transmit torque. A force applied by pushing down on one end of the lever results in a force pushing up at the other end. If the fulcrum is not positioned in the middle of the lever, then the force applied to one end will not yield the same force on the other, since the torque must be the same on either side of the fulcrum. Levers, like gears, can thus be used to increase the force available from a mechanical power source.
See more at fulcrum See also mechanical advantage
1250–1300; Middle English levere, levour for *lever < Anglo-French; Old French levier, equivalent to lev ( er ) to lift (< Latin levāre to lighten, lift, verbal derivative of levis light) + -ier -ier 2
A lever is a handle, sticking out at an angle, that allows you to operate a machine or close a door. When you pull the lever of a voting booth, you both cast your ballot and open the curtain. All kinds of things — particularly machines — have levers. The word is also used to describe anything that you are able to use to move or influence someone else: think leverage. A headline in The New York Times said the government would use its contracts with private companies as a "wage lever," meaning the government would try to improve wages by giving work and money to companies that paid well and provided generous benefits. Levers get things done.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The remaining 35% of idle capacity gives Meta an additional monetization lever.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
The yen carry trade, a global liquidity lever, poses upheaval for markets, with past intervention causing a 6.1% S&P 500 slump.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 2026
The rare combination of off-grain fermentation and column distillation offers yet another lever to pull when it comes to modulating flavor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
"It gives us a new molecular lever -- and potentially a new set of tools -- for tackling these conditions."
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
I pulled the lever and pressed the button and dried the first rack, then the next and the next.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
Kalshi has a ban on those practices and has banned markets tied directly to death and war, Lever said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
A sale would mark the biggest portfolio shake-up for Unilever since it was created nearly a century ago through the merger of Dutch group Margarine Unie and British soap maker Lever Bros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Peter Lever: Fast bowler played 17 times for England as well as playing for Lancashire.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
According to an analysis from Lever, an investigative newsroom, the private insurance giant Humana — one of the largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans — recorded $2.8 billion in profits in 2022.
From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2024
He smells like a perfect combination of Lever soap and Old Spice.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
“If we see levers or a path that we believe would create superior value for our shareholders than executing our current strategy, we will, of course, carefully consider them,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
These are levers we can pull that change the math in our favor.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
She has a massive serve and a really heavy ball, which comes from the natural power through her long levers.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
But to see him moving the levers and pushing buttons was fascinating.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Rows of striking pins were controlled by levers on the outside of the cone, which was fixed to a square metal base with a bunch of crank handles.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
“Even in a strong economy, AI will disrupt old economy companies, especially highly levered ones,” Pimco said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 13, 2026
But a well-worked wrap-around move off first-phase ball, levered open a corridor of space for Breach to streak away to score and suck the life out the stadium.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
Finback’s founders levered their many industry and political connections to create a web of experienced executives and leaders that the firm can draw on to work with companies it backs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 2026
“The obsession with this very narrow corner of the market, this $2 trillion slice of levered lending, is, frankly, a failure of imagination,” Rowan sad.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
He levered up the grate beneath it with one hand, then reached in with the other and pulled out a bag covered with soot.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Gerstner expressed concerns that investors are “layering up” right now, noting that “there are 14 exchange-traded funds launching on the day of the SpaceX IPO,” some of which are aimed at levering returns.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
If it is to play a game-changing role in levering in private investment, its £8.3bn funding over five years will have a lot of heavy lifting to do.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2024
By employing bioinformatics analyses and levering diverse public datasets, the team validated the robustness of HK-CREs across 50 randomly selected healthy cell types, confirming the location of HK-CREs within the genome.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 5, 2024
I had to stand with one foot planted on either side of the toilet seat, reaching up past my shoulders to boost myself up, as if levering my way out of a swimming pool.
From New York Times ● Aug. 28, 2013
Pearl wielded the tools with expert hands, levering the side panels into place against the headboard, propping them up on one ankle while she bolted them into place.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
