lean in

verb

leaned in; leaning in; leans in

intransitive verb

: to persevere in spite of risk or difficulty
Then there's the racial justice crisis and making sure that we are leaning in during this time of recovery and crisis into the very important conversations around diversity and inclusion.Laura Fuentes, quoted in Washington (D.C.) Business Journal
Attending college began as a time of "leaning in," because it took courage to attend a large campus without much parental support and no friends attending with me.Sue Nokes

Examples of lean in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Her two unborn babies were lying face to face, and then one of the two leaned in to give the other a kiss. Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025 In the photo, a shirtless Davidson leans in to kiss Hewitt, whose right hand rests on her tattooed boyfriend’s left shoulder. Brian Anthony Hernandez, People.com, 10 Aug. 2025 Standing under the harsh light of her bathroom vanity, 45-year-old Hillary Kirkman leaned in with tweezers and spotted something else entirely. Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 8 Aug. 2025 No traditional media company has leaned in on working with creators in recent months more than Fox Corp. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lean in

Word History

First Known Use

2001, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of lean in was in 2001

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Cite this Entry

“Lean in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean%20in. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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