lever
Mechanics. a rigid bar that pivots about one point and that is used to move an object at a second point by a force applied at a third.: Compare machine (def. 4b).
a tool, as a pry or a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage: There's a small lever in my toolbox that'll be perfect for prying off these narrow moldings.
a handle or bar that is manipulated to operate, control, or adjust a machine, mechanism, etc.: Pushing down the lever on the left will automatically open the door.
a means or agency of persuading or of achieving an end: Saying that the chairman of the board likes the plan is just a lever to get us to support it.
Horology. the pallet of an escapement.
to move with or apply a lever: to lever a rock; to lever mightily and to no avail.
Origin of lever
1Other words from lever
- re·lev·er, verb (used with object)
Words Nearby lever
Other definitions for Lever (2 of 2)
Charles James "Cornelius O'Dowd", 1806–72, Irish novelist and essayist.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use lever in a sentence
The 65cc and up bikes start to introduce manual clutches and require more rider skills to modulate the clutch lever and click through gears via the shifter.
Your kid wants a dirt bike. Here’s what to buy them. | By Serena Bleeker/Dirt Rider | September 4, 2020 | Popular-ScienceIt’s gone from a “strategic lever for the future to a strategic lever for right now,” he says.
How scary will a COVID-19 Halloween be for candy companies? | Beth Kowitt | August 29, 2020 | FortuneFor Mead and Benedict, social theory was a tool for making sense of the world, but it could also be a lever against your own predicaments.
In that case, even if we can directly manipulate some of them the way we can directly manipulate links, it’s much harder to know which levers to pull and the most direct way to try to impact the numbers we’re judged on, again, becomes brand.
It won’t be without its challenges, but it’s a policy lever we might pull.
How to Prevent Another Great Depression (Ep. 421) | Stephen J. Dubner | June 11, 2020 | Freakonomics
That is, TFA is neither a lever for dramatically improving or ruining U.S. public education.
Instead of pushing the cup against a mechanical lever, users push a “button” on a touchscreen.
A campaign button on his lapel showed him in a smile and a suit, and advertised his name and lever.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis | Richard Ben Cramer | January 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut Walker is betting that when the time comes to vote, Republicans will pull the lever for a person who gets things done.
Scott Walker Is the Perfect Republican Candidate for 2016 (on Paper) | David Freedlander | November 20, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMavis Lilian lever was born in Dulwich, south London, on May 5, 1921, the daughter of a postal worker and a seamstress.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes | The Telegraph | November 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTA feed-pump forced water into the boilers; each had a safety-valve with a lever and weight.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickThe gunner's seat moved with the carriage, from which he could elevate or depress the muzzle by a lever.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2) | Francis TrevithickThe action is Cavaill-Coll's latest improvement on the Barker pneumatic lever.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerHis fingers dropped down to the gear lever, his foot snuggled against the clutch pedal.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerIn one hand he carried a peevie, a big wooden lever with an iron hook on it, such as men use in rolling fir logs.
The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
British Dictionary definitions for lever
/ (ˈliːvə) /
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum, used to transfer a force to a load and usually to provide a mechanical advantage
any of a number of mechanical devices employing this principle
a means of exerting pressure in order to accomplish something; strategic aid
to prise or move (an object) with a lever
Origin of lever
1Derived forms of lever
- lever-like, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for lever
[ lĕv′ər ]
A simple machine consisting of a bar that pivots on a fixed support, or fulcrum, and is used to transmit torque. A force applied by pushing down on one end of the lever results in a force pushing up at the other end. If the fulcrum is not positioned in the middle of the lever, then the force applied to one end will not yield the same force on the other, since the torque must be the same on either side of the fulcrum. Levers, like gears, can thus be used to increase the force available from a mechanical power source. See more at fulcrum. See also mechanical advantage.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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