lean Hear it!

lean¹ Definition

lean (lēn)

intransitive verb leaned or Chiefly Brit.leant, lean′·ing

  1. to bend or deviate from an upright position; stand at a slant; incline
  2. to bend or incline the body so as to rest part of one's weight upon or against something he leaned on the desk
  3. to depend for encouragement, aid, etc.; rely (on or upon)
  4. to have a particular mental inclination; tend (toward or to a certain opinion, attitude, etc.)

Etymology: ME lenen < OE hlinian, to lean, hlænan, to cause to lean, akin to Ger lehnen < IE base *lei-, to incline, lean > Gr klinein, L clinare

transitive verb

to cause to lean to lean one's head back, lean the ladder against the house

noun

the act or condition of leaning; inclination; slant

lean¹ Related Forms

lean′er noun

lean¹ Idioms

lean on

☆

Slang to pressure, as by using influence or intimidating

lean² Definition

lean (lēn)

adjective

  1. with little flesh or fat; thin; spare
  2. containing little or no fat: said of meat
    1. lacking in richness, profit, productivity, etc.; meager
    2. deficient in some quality or substance a lean mixture in the carburetor
    3. characterized by brevity, incisiveness, directness, etc. a lean writing style
    4. characterized by economy, efficiency, automation rather than human labor, etc. a leaner, more competitive company

Etymology: ME lene < OE hlæne, prob. akin to lean, in sense “leaning, drooping,” hence “thin, slender”

noun

meat containing little or no fat

lean² Related Forms

lean′ly adverb lean′·ness noun

lean Synonyms

lean

modif.

  1. Thin

    lank, meager, slim; see thin 2.

  2. Containing little fat

    fibrous, muscular, sinewy, meaty, free from fat, all-meat, protein-rich; see also strong 1.

lean Synonyms

lean

v.

  1. To incline

    slope, slant, sag, sink, decline, list, tip, bow, nod, twist, cock, place, careen, roll, veer, droop, drift, dip, pitch, cant, bend, heel, be not perpendicular, be slanting, be slanted, be off; see also bend 2, tilt 1.

  2. To tend

    favor, be disposed, incline; see tend 2.

lean Usage Examples

Object

  • tower: Throughout the ages, the leaning tower has been the cause of considerable alarm to many an inhabitant.
  • ladder: Can the leaning ladder be secured at the top?

Preposition: on

  • crutch: A victim of cerebral palsy, Rita had never been able to walk without leaning heavily on crutches.
  • railing: A young gentleman was leaning on the rusty railings of the area.

Preposition: against

  • railing: At the doorway of the Howe Street flats a man, muffled in a cravat and greatcoat, was leaning against the railing.
  • wall: The remains of three metal beds are leaning against the wall.
  • fence: That is elaborated in further particulars wherein it was said that the plank of wood was leaning upright against the fence.

Preposition: over

railing: As she leaned over the railing a red hair fell from her head and floated softly down, absorbed by the land.

Modifies a noun

  • meat: The reward is rich, lean meat with an incomparable richness of flavor.
  • manufacturing: Lean manufacturing also means supplying customers with products quickly from the time of order.
  • physique: Pilate's Pilate's uses techniques and moves to create an altogether stronger, leaner physique and improves posture.
  • mass: Usually lean body mass is estimated from total body water.
  • ham: Try other tasty toppings with your cheese like flaked tuna and sweetcorn, mushrooms, and diced lean ham or turkey.
  • bacon: Injections under the skin of pigs has produced leaner bacon.

Modifying Another Word

forward: If there isn't enough support you may feel you need to lean forward to balance.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • across: Violet put an elbow on the table and leaned across to the old man.
  • over: Try leaning over, close to the water, looking at your reflection, then imagine what lies hidden below.
  • upon: Open volumes should not be placed on top of one another and should not be leaned upon.
  • on: They won't have him to lean on, or to appeal to, or to teach them in the future.

Preposition: at

angle: Further inland, stunted bushes appear, leaning at crazy angles away from the blast.

Browse dictionary entries near lean

  1. ‹ leal
  2. ‹ leaky wave
  3. ‹ leaky mode
  4. ‹ leaky
  5. ‹ leakproof
  6. ‹ Leakey
  7. ‹ leaker
  8. ‹ leakage
  9. ‹ leak
  10. ‹ Leah
  1. lean hogs ›
  2. lean on or upon ›
  3. lean over backwards ›
  4. lean-to ›
  5. Leander ›
  6. leaning ›
  7. Leaning Tower of Pisa ›
  8. leant ›
  9. leap ›
  10. leap year ›