lean in
verb
leaned in; leaning in; leans in
: 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
Laura Fuentes, quoted in Washington (D.C.) Business JournalAttending 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
Sue NokesExamples of lean in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
From fashion runways to movie reboots, throwbacks are everywhere, and Diet Coke is leaning in with style.
—Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
The seemingly friendly exes took a moment to catch up between photos, with Affleck leaning in to whisper something in her ear at one point.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Instead of dodging them, lean in… clarity lives on the other side of discomfort.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 5 Oct. 2025
In fact, there’s wisdom in leaning in to their retelling.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean in
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.
Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
The seemingly friendly exes took a moment to catch up between photos, with Affleck leaning in to whisper something in her ear at one point.
—Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
Instead of dodging them, lean in… clarity lives on the other side of discomfort.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 5 Oct. 2025
In fact, there’s wisdom in leaning in to their retelling.
—Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean in
Cite this Entry
“Lean in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean%20in. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share