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.
Alexandra Friedman, a Seattle-based friendship and relationship coach, thinks it’s OK to use AI to scaffold an uncomfortable conversation but not to lean on it throughout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Positional rotations in the wide triangles for Tuchel were supposed to be the key attacking tactic England were to lean on throughout the tournament.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
In this respect, the site of El Sidrón, in northern Spain, provides a particularly strong basis which we can lean on.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
Carr always had his dad, Chris Carr, to lean on during his journey as a basketball player.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026
He slung the shotgun strap over his shoulder and let Owen lean on him to take pressure off his injured foot.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
