Etymology
Origin of leaner
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.
The committee recommended Yale adopt a leaner mission, establish minimum SAT scores and reduce admission preferences for legacies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Boosted by powerful new artificial-intelligence tools, Silicon Valley startups are running leaner than ever, spawning new benchmarks like revenue-per-employee and even talk of the billion-dollar, one-person company.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
But his pre-season preparation was key in matching those demands this season, with the midfielder visibly leaner and stronger.
From BBC • Feb. 6, 2026
"Although we have faced a significant crisis in the past year, we have also viewed it as an opportunity. It's an opportunity for a leaner WHO to become more focused on its core mission."
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
Togbe grew leaner still and, for the first time, began to use a walking stick.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
