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.
The rest of the league leaned in, juicing the model with athleticism. Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 10 May 2026 The Cook Political Report, which tracks elections, shifted the race from one Republicans were likely to win, to one that just leans in Ramaswamy's favor. Karen Kasler, NPR, 5 May 2026 Alisoun has previously tricked Absalom into kissing her butt by sticking it out the window just as Absalom leaned in, intent on kissing her other cheek. Literary Hub, 4 May 2026 Macca's – as Kiwis often refer to the chain – decided to lean in to the online buzz with its own mullet content, like a video trying to mullet other menu items. Melina Khan, USA Today, 1 May 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 16 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster