lean on

verb

leaned on; leaning on; leans on

transitive verb

: to apply pressure to

They were leaning on the governor to pass the law.

Examples of lean on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

National team newcomer Reese played only nine minutes in the final as coach Kara Lawson leaned on players with FIBA experience. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Even on less dazzling days, Nola and Painter have some positives to lean on in their arsenals. — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Benson has been leaning on such KC veterans as center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026

With its Super Bowl MVP, Kenneth Walker, now playing for Kansas City and Seattle starting quarterback Sam Darnold hurt, Seattle has leaned on receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba to jump-start its offense. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lean on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon