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.
Once again, I’d lean on the fact that you two have history.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
The book does lean on two major Rainey biographies, by Sandra Lieb and Dick Spottswood, but paired with the strongly enhanced recordings it is a significant contribution to getting the story told.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Tuchel has spoken often about the "brotherhood" within the camp - they've had to lean on that connection in recent days.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 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
Peter’s beginning to lean on me and I don’t want that, not under any circumstances.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
