lever

¹

[ lev-er, lee-ver ]

noun

1. 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 ).
2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. Horology. the pallet of an escapement.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to move with or apply a lever:

   to lever a rock; to lever mightily and to no avail.

Lever

²

[ lee-ver ]

noun

1. Charles James Cornelius O'Dowd, 1806–72, Irish novelist and essayist.

lever

/ ˈliːvə /

noun

1. a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum, used to transfer a force to a load and usually to provide a mechanical advantage
2. any of a number of mechanical devices employing this principle
3. a means of exerting pressure in order to accomplish something; strategic aid

verb

1. to prise or move (an object) with a lever

lever

/ lĕv′ər /

1. 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.
2. See more at fulcrumSee also mechanical advantage

Derived Forms

• ˈlever-ˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• re·lever verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of lever¹

1250–1300; Middle English levere, levour for *lever < Anglo-French; Old French levier, equivalent to lev ( er ) to lift (< Latin levāre to lighten, lift, verbal derivative of levis light) + -ier -ier ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of lever¹

C13: from Old French leveour, from lever to raise, from Latin levāre, from levis light

Example Sentences

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.

From Popular-Science

It’s gone from a “strategic lever for the future to a strategic lever for right now,” he says.

From Fortune

For 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.

From Nautilus

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.

From Search Engine Land

It won’t be without its challenges, but it’s a policy lever we might pull.

From Freakonomics

That is, TFA is neither a lever for dramatically improving or ruining U.S. public education.

From The Daily Beast

Instead of pushing the cup against a mechanical lever, users push a “button” on a touchscreen.

From The Daily Beast

A campaign button on his lapel showed him in a smile and a suit, and advertised his name and lever.

From The Daily Beast

But Walker is betting that when the time comes to vote, Republicans will pull the lever for a person who gets things done.

From The Daily Beast

Mavis Lilian Lever was born in Dulwich, south London, on May 5, 1921, the daughter of a postal worker and a seamstress.

From The Daily Beast

A feed-pump forced water into the boilers; each had a safety-valve with a lever and weight.

From Project Gutenberg

The gunner's seat moved with the carriage, from which he could elevate or depress the muzzle by a lever.

From Project Gutenberg

The action is Cavaill-Coll's latest improvement on the Barker pneumatic lever.

From Project Gutenberg

His fingers dropped down to the gear lever, his foot snuggled against the clutch pedal.

From Project Gutenberg

In one hand he carried a peevie, a big wooden lever with an iron hook on it, such as men use in rolling fir logs.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• crowbar
• pedal
• tool