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

Over in Marietta, David Lynch says trees in his yard started to lean in recent years. —Leondra Head, CBS News, 26 May 2026

Mete caught a sarcastic look on Defne’s face and leaned in to follow up with a joke. —Ayşegül Savaş, New Yorker, 24 May 2026

Those leaning in are pairing bold imagination with intentional investment in talent, infrastructure and governance, laying the foundation for AI to become a true engine of reinvention. —Tom Hood, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Colbert hesitated and then leaned in to kiss Pascal. —Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

2001, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lean in

• renin
• carrageenan
• pangasinan
• catenin