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.
There’s also a tangible entreaty for global communities to lean on the networks and relationships they have—with their neighbors, schools, civil organizations, governments, and corporations—and address an issue everyone agrees we should be worried about.
From Slate • May 28, 2026
He said the company would accelerate the pace of new product development and lean on its international business, which currently drives around a fifth of E.l.f.’s sales.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
Buy spices in rich seasons; lean on them in lean ones.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
The fighters and fans struggled to catch a breath as trainer Don Charles urged Dubois to lean on his jab.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
Laura and Mary ran to lean on his knees and hear the rest.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
