lean-to

American  

[leen-too] / ˈlinˌtu /

noun

PLURAL

lean-tos

1. a shack or shed supported at one side by trees or posts and having an inclined roof.

2. a roof of a single pitch with the higher end abutting a wall or larger building.

3. a structure with such a roof.

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lean-to British  

noun

1. a roof that has a single slope with its upper edge adjoining a wall or building

2. a shed or outbuilding with such a roof

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Etymology

Origin of lean-to

1425–75; late Middle English; noun use of verb phrase lean to

Example Sentences

Makeshift lean-to structures dot the overgrown courtyards of their apartment complex where residents gather to cook over fires.

From Seattle Times

Before impending nuclear annihilation, a husband paints the windows white and builds a lean-to shelter while his wife frets about his staining the curtains and marking the wallpaper.

From New York Times

Sleeping in a lean-to on the property, Bran is made from adolescence onward to earn her keep by helping take care of the plants.

From Seattle Times

At the start of the novel, Bran lives with her common-law stepfather and his family in a lean-to on their farm in indentured servitude.

From Los Angeles Times

At night she sleeps in an unheated lean-to.

From New York Times

Related Words

• hut
• shack
• shanty