lean

¹

[ leen ]

verb (used without object)

, leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

1. to incline or bend from a vertical position:

   She leaned out the window.

2. to incline, as in a particular direction; slant:

   The post leans to the left.

   The building leaned sharply before renovation.

3. to incline in feeling, opinion, action, etc.:

   to lean toward socialism.

4. to rest against or on something for support:

   to lean against a wall.

5. to depend or rely (usually followed by on or upon ):

   someone he could lean on in an emergency.

verb (used with object)

, leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

1. to incline or bend:

   He leaned his head forward.

2. to cause to lean or rest; prop:

   to lean a chair against the railing.

noun

1. the act or state of leaning; inclination:

   The tower has a pronounced lean.

verb phrase

1. Informal.
   1. 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.

   2. to criticize, reprimand, or punish:

      I would have enjoyed school more if the teachers hadn't leaned on me so much.

2. 1. 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.

   2. 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

, lean·er, lean·est.

1. (of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin:

   lean cattle.

   Synonyms: lanky, lank, skinny

   Antonyms: fat

2. (of edible meat) containing little or no fat.

   Antonyms: fat

3. lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.; poor:

   a lean diet; lean years.

   Synonyms: jejune, unfruitful, barren, sparse

   Antonyms: fruitful

4. spare; economical:

   a lean prose style.

5. Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air ( rich ).
6. (of paint) having more pigment than oil. Compare fat ( def 12 ).
7. Nautical. (of a bow) having fine lines; sharp.
8. Metallurgy. (of ore) having a low mineral content; low-grade.

noun

1. the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.
2. the lean part of anything.
3. Typesetting. matter that is difficult to set because of complexity or intermixed fonts. Compare fat ( def 23 ).

Lean

³

[ leen ]

noun

1. David, 1908–91, British film director.

Lean

¹

/ liːn /

noun

1. LeanSir David19081991MEnglishFILMS AND TV: director 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)

lean

²

/ liːn /

adjective

1. (esp of a person or an animal) having no surplus flesh or bulk; not fat or plump
2. not bulky or full
3. (of meat) having little or no fat
4. not rich, abundant, or satisfying
5. (of a mixture of fuel and air) containing insufficient fuel and too much air

   a lean mixture

6. (of printer's type) having a thin appearance
7. (of a paint) containing relatively little oil
8. (of an ore) not having a high mineral content
9. (of concrete) made with a small amount of cement

noun

1. the part of meat that contains little or no fat

lean

³

/ liːn /

verb

1. foll byagainst, on, or upon to rest or cause to rest against a support
2. to incline or cause to incline from a vertical position
3. intr; foll by to or towards to have or express a tendency or leaning
4. lean over backwards informal.
   to make a special effort, esp in order to please

noun

1. the condition of inclining from a vertical position

Derived Forms

• ˈleanness, noun
• ˈleanly, adverb

Other Words From

• leanly adverb
• leanness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lean¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English lenen, Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with German lehnen; akin to Greek klī́nein, Latin -clīnāre “to incline ”

Origin of lean²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English lene, lein(e), Old English hlǣne

Word History and Origins

Origin of lean¹

Old English hlǣne, of Germanic origin

Origin of lean²

Old English hleonian, hlinian; related to Old High German hlinēn, Latin clīnāre to incline

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. lean over backward(s). bend ¹( def 21 ).

Synonym Study

See thin.

Example Sentences

“If it’s like Twitter and Musk’s other companies, they’ll want lean staff heavily weighted toward technical hires, carry an expectation that people be in the office all the time, not offer a lot of expectations of benefits, and expect longer work hours.”

From Slate

They both point to the film’s opening moments, in which prospective moles attempt to demonstrate their proficiency with technology — taking photos with a cellphone, accessing the internet with WiFi — as an example of the spirit they are trying to lean into.

From Los Angeles Times

Grassroots activism can push back, lean in and go high when others go low.

From Los Angeles Times

Send that to as many people in your life as you can, and then lean into what they say in response, and hold fast to each other and stand up for those values.

From Slate

“But we could take that concept and lean into the strengths of episodic television — character development and multi-seasons — and make it in a whole different dramatic form.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bow
• drift
• incline
• nod
• prop
• recline
• slant
• tilt
• tip
• twist
• veer