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lean
1[leen]
verb (used without object)
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.
verb (used with object)
to incline or bend.
He leaned his head forward.
to cause to lean or rest; prop.
to lean a chair against the railing.
noun
the act or state of leaning; inclination.
The tower has a pronounced lean.
verb phrase
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.
lean
2[leen]
adjective
(of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin.
lean cattle.
Antonyms: fat(of edible meat) containing little or no fat.
Antonyms: fatlacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.; poor.
a lean diet; lean years.
Antonyms: fruitfulspare; economical.
a lean prose style.
Automotive., (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air (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.
noun
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.
Lean
3[leen]
noun
David, 1908–91, British film director.
lean
1/ liːn /
adjective
(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
noun
the part of meat that contains little or no fat
lean
2/ liːn /
verb
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
noun
the condition of inclining from a vertical position
Lean
3/ 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)
Other Word Forms
- leanness noun
- leanly adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of lean1
Origin of lean2
Word History and Origins
Origin of lean1
Origin of lean2
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
Researchers compared high-fat and lean ground pork burgers that contained the same amount of protein to see how each affected short-term muscle growth.
The court’s conservatives lean in that direction and sought to limit the use of race for drawing district boundaries.
The video showed a tall, lean man wearing a sky-blue T-shirt, dark blue shorts and distinctive striped sandals like those worn by Bipin on the day he was abducted.
At a press conference on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania governor - standing alongside his wife - said his family has had to lean on their faith as they navigated a difficult recovery since the attack.
If data isn’t reliable at the Fed level, it might be better to lean more into listening more to investors to hear what they have to say.
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When To Use
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.
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.
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