lean on
Britishverb
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Also: lean upon. to depend on for advice, support, etc
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informal to exert pressure on (someone), as by threats or intimidation
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Rely on, depend on, as in He's leaning on me for help . [Mid-1400s]
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Exert pressure on one, especially to obtain something or make one do something against his or her will. For example, The gangsters were leaning on local storekeepers to pay them protection money . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]
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.
In previous years, when the economy got tougher, Best Buy could lean on its Geek Squad tech assistants to set itself apart from rivals.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 25, 2026
It’s unlikely that OpenAI will be able to conjure Apple’s semiconductor operation overnight, though perhaps it will lean on its partnership with Nvidia—which makes well-regarded mobile AI processors.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026
Drivers lean on their horns as a group of protesters stand along the roadside.
From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026
I was lucky to get to lean on the mothers on set and ask them questions like, “How does this feel when you’re breastfeeding? What is colic actually like? What are your hormones?”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
At such moments something resembling happiness actually stirs in your chest, but it isn’t the sort of emotion you want to lean on very hard.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
