Lean Definition

lēn
leaned, leaner, leanest, leaning, leans, leant
verb
leaned, leaning, leans, leant
To bend or deviate from an upright position; stand at a slant; incline.
Webster's New World
To bend or incline the body so as to rest part of one's weight upon or against something.
He leaned on the desk.
Webster's New World
To depend for encouragement, aid, etc.; rely (on or upon)
Webster's New World
To cause to lean.
To lean one's head back; lean the ladder against the house.
Webster's New World
To have a tendency or preference.
A government that leans toward fascism.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
noun
leans
A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical.
American Heritage
The act or condition of leaning; inclination; slant.
Webster's New World
Meat containing little or no fat.
Webster's New World
adjective
leaner, leanest
With little flesh or fat; thin; spare.
Webster's New World
Containing little or no fat.
Webster's New World
Lacking in richness, profit, productivity, etc.; meager.
Webster's New World
Not productive or prosperous; meager.
Lean years.
American Heritage
Containing little excess or waste; spare.
A lean budget.
American Heritage
Antonyms:
idiom
lean on
  • to pressure, as by using influence or through intimidation
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Lean

Adjective

Base Form:
lean
Comparative:
leaner
Superlative:
leanest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Lean

Origin of Lean

  • From Middle English lenen (“to lean"), from Old English hleonian, hlinian (“to lean, recline, lie down, rest"), from Proto-Germanic *hlinōnÄ… (“to lean, incline"), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-. Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Middle Dutch lenen (“to lean"), German lehnen (“to lean"); via Proto-Indo-European with climate, cline.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Middle English lene (“lean"), from Old English hlÇ£ne (“lean"), perhaps from Old English hlÇ£nan (“to cause to lean", in the sense of "to cause to bend or lean due to hunger or lack of food"), from Proto-Germanic *hlainijanÄ… (“to cause to lean"). If so, then related to Old English hlinian, hleonian (“to lean").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English lenen from Old English hleonian klei- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Icelandic leyna?; akin to German word for "deny". Compare lie (“speak falsely").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English lene from Old English hlǣne

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to lean using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

lean