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.
Best of all, Toyota leaned in on the most fan-fave details and expanded them across the lineup, making the 2026 RAV4 more fun to drive than ever. Scotty Reiss, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026 Paul Clement, who represented Cook at the hearing, leaned in during his arguments on words that the Supreme Court in an opinion last year used to describe the Fed as distinct from other federal agencies whose officials might be removed by a president. Dan Mangan, CNBC, 21 Jan. 2026 The Turkish government saw what was happening and leaned in. Matthew Kayser, Ascend Agency, 16 Jan. 2026 The clip, which has amassed over 14 million views and nearly 3 million likes, shows the little girl, who was only 4 days old at the time, with a grumpy expression on her face as her brother leans in for the smooch. Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lean in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean%20in. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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