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.
Indie developers often lean on retro games aesthetics not just because people respond well to them – but also because they are easier to achieve.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Warsh seemed to lean on recent wobbles in riskier assets and a slight decline in market-based inflation expectations, Cabana said, but those wobbles “were not that big.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
When the market gets scary, these questions give you something to lean on besides your gut.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Many have been with the company for decades, and lean on extensive personal relationships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
The mothers and children back at home would lean on one another and on other family members while their husbands and fathers were away.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
