to incline or bend from a vertical position.
She leaned out the window.
to incline, as in a particular direction; slant.
The post leans to the left.
The building leaned sharply before renovation.
to incline in feeling, opinion, action, etc..
to lean toward socialism.
to rest against or on something for support.
to lean against a wall.
to depend or rely (usually followed by on orupon ).
someone he could lean on in an emergency.
to incline or bend.
He leaned his head forward.
to cause to lean or rest; prop.
to lean a chair against the railing.
lean on
to exert influence or pressure on in order to gain cooperation, maintain discipline, or the like.
The state is leaning on the company to clean up its industrial wastes.
to criticize, reprimand, or punish.
I would have enjoyed school more if the teachers hadn't leaned on me so much.
lean in
to shift one's body weight forward or toward someone or something.
Because Don was whispering, I had to lean in so I could hear him.
He stood near home plate and leaned in for the pitch.
to embrace risk, be assertive, etc., as to achieve the greatest level of success in the workplace.
She really knows how to lean in—she'll have a corner office before long.
(of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin.
lean cattle.
(of edible meat) containing little or no fat.
lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.; poor.
a lean diet; lean years.
spare; economical.
a lean prose style.
Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with rich).
(of paint) having more pigment than oil.
Nautical. (of a bow) having fine lines; sharp.
Metallurgy. (of ore) having a low mineral content; low-grade.
the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.
the lean part of anything.
Typesetting. matter that is difficult to set because of complexity or intermixed fonts.
(esp of a person or an animal) having no surplus flesh or bulk; not fat or plump
not bulky or full
(of meat) having little or no fat
not rich, abundant, or satisfying
(of a mixture of fuel and air) containing insufficient fuel and too much air
a lean mixture
(of printer's type) having a thin appearance
(of a paint) containing relatively little oil
(of an ore) not having a high mineral content
(of concrete) made with a small amount of cement
to rest or cause to rest against a support
to incline or cause to incline from a vertical position
(intr; foll by to or towards) to have or express a tendency or leaning
informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
What else does lean mean? Content warning: this article contains references to drug abuse. In slang, lean is a term for prescription-strength cough syrup mixed with soft drinks and candy. It’s also known by such other names as purple drank or sizzurp.
See thin.
First recorded before 900; Middle English lenen, Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with German lehnen; akin to Greek klī́nein, Latin -clīnāre “to incline ”
First recorded before 1000; Middle English lene, lein(e), Old English hlǣne
If you lean on something, you incline your body against it, like the way you lean against a wall while waiting in line. If you lean on a person, you rely on her for moral support, like the way you lean on your best friend when you're feeling sad or worried. If you’re tired, lean back in your chair. If you’re broke, lean on your family for financial help. But something can lean all by itself, if it’s not standing straight. The famous Tower of Pisa leans at an angle of about 4 degrees. As an adjective, we use lean to describe something skimpy or lacking excess flesh. When you're experiencing financial difficulty, you could say you're going through lean (not prosperous) times.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Overall, weather patterns lean to the bullish side, although would be more impressive if it was a little hotter over the East in the 6-15 day period.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The birds are ready for marinating, which helps keep the lean meat moist, and they cook incredibly quickly—so throw on once your guests have already arrived.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 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
We have a medical advisor, a technical advisor, on set at all times, and so I lean on them heavily.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
He studies me, his eyes small slits, and I lean farther back on the chair’s arm, increasing the distance between us.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Lean and wet and smeared with grass, he introduces himself as Lincoln Hedberg from New Jersey.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
Or Sheryl Sandberg, whose Lean In Foundation now hawks AI to women; in March, Sandberg joined the board of directors of Nscale, a British data-center startup.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
Lean mass or muscle made up 14.6% of total weight loss in the apitegromab group, compared with 30.2% in the placebo group that received a dummy treatment alongside Mounjaro.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Lean shows up in GE’s financial statements, too.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
“Here, come, Matt. Come, John. Today’s memory will be a video of the four of us. Lean in.”
From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin
When Bending Spoons buys a company, it begins each radical transformation by slashing most of the acquired employees—and replacing them with the much leaner team of Spooners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Companies have tapped AI to make work teams leaner, faster and more efficient.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
The company said it had slowed down due to “too many organizational layers” and the cuts will simplify the organization to become a “faster, leaner, more focused company.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Swinney said he had put together a "leaner, more agile government".
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
Tank is around the same height as Ziggy, but a lot leaner.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
The leanest pork cuts include the loin, tenderloin, center loin and ham.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024
It's not a lie - I was never the leanest cricketer in the world, but I won games for franchises.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2023
Hotels across the country are bracing for what is expected to be one of China's leanest holiday travel periods since early 2020.
From Reuters ● Apr. 29, 2022
Ahead of Opening Day, the first at full capacity since 2019, many fans remembered those leanest years, when the Nationals lost 102 games in 2008 and 103 in 2009.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 4, 2022
The advice to omit needless words should not be confused with the puritanical edict that all writers must pare every sentence down to the shortest, leanest, most abstemious version possible.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Aviv’s journalistic method leans on the idea of unreliable narration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
For most Americans, a practical use case leans heavily toward traditional hybrids, Murphy added.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Australia's political landscape had traditionally been dominated by the two major parties - the centre-left Labor and the Liberal-Nationals Coalition, which leans conservative.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Steak leans into its vintage charm with dark lighting, a crackling fireplace and a distinctly romantic atmosphere.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
He leans over the table, his eyes a pointy glare.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Those consumer-goods giants have leaned on newer products, and in particular on trends like protein and other “functional” foods and drinks, to hold consumers’ interest.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Bannister said she had "leaned in personally on trying to get the messages clear".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Swift has said she brings them with her on tour and has leaned into her identity as a self-proclaimed “childless cat lady.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
They came from clubs in every corner of the earth as the African island nation leaned on far-flung family lineage to build a World Cup roster.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
As the waiter and Frances discussed the menu, Anna May leaned toward me.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Throughout the campaign, she leant on the controversial legacy of her father, promising a military crackdown on organised crime, in particular extortion incidents that have soared in recent years.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
She leant heavily on caddie Jason McDede to ensure she landed the title she most coveted.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Researchers said the work also leant further credence to a theory about humpback whale patterns known as the "Southern Ocean Exchange".
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The family also claims the new authorities have leant on the courts to find them guilty.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
The man leant forward till he was flat on the ground.
From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis
WASHINGTON—President Trump is leaning toward expanding U.S. military operations in Iran after days of briefings from top aides, U.S. officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Some colleges are leaning more on personal statements, along with grades and test scores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
A couple who are getting married on Saturday say they are leaning into the wedding's World Cup clash by screening England's quarter-final match against Norway next to the dancefloor.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The Texas senator similarly held a private meeting with Blanche, a conversation he described simply as “positive,” without elaborating which direction he’s leaning on Blanche’s confirmation.
From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2026
Aunt Maud showed up in the road, leaning on Tansy.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
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.
