QUIZ
WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?
Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!
Question 1 of 7
Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.
Idioms about lean
lean over backward(s). bend1 (def. 21).
Origin of lean
1First recorded before 900; Middle English lenen, Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with German lehnen; akin to Greek klī́nein, Latin -clīnāre “to incline ”
Other definitions for lean (2 of 3)
lean2
[ leen ]
/ lin /
adjective, lean·er, lean·est.
noun
OTHER WORDS FOR lean
Origin of lean
2First recorded before 1000; Middle English lene, lein(e), Old English hlǣne
synonym study for lean
1. See thin.
OTHER WORDS FROM lean
leanly, adverbleanness, nounOther definitions for lean (3 of 3)
Lean
[ leen ]
/ lin /
noun
David, 1908–91, British film director.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lean in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for lean (1 of 3)
lean1
/ (liːn) /
verb leans, leaning, leaned or leant
(foll by against, on, or upon) 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
lean over backwards informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please
noun
the condition of inclining from a vertical position
See also lean on
Word Origin for lean
Old English hleonian, hlinian; related to Old High German hlinēn, Latin clīnāre to incline
British Dictionary definitions for lean (2 of 3)
lean2
/ (liːn) /
adjective
noun
the part of meat that contains little or no fat
Derived forms of lean
leanly, adverbleanness, nounWord Origin for lean
Old English hlǣne, of Germanic origin
British Dictionary definitions for lean (3 of 3)
Lean
/ (liːn) /
noun
Sir David. 1908–91, English film director. His films include In Which We Serve (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945), Brief Encounter (1946), Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Dr Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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