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

And the conference rivalry has leaned in only one direction for more than a decade, with Kirby Smart’s side having won the last five straight showdowns between these two schools. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

Range, accuracy, dexterity, off the move, left, right, leaning in and leaning back. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2025

The deputies, obsessive fishermen, leaned in to study the lures, to see what kind of man the tackle box belonged to. —Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025

Now is that time; explore, rejoice and lean in. —Rochelle Ratkaj, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2001, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lean in

• renin
• carrageenan
• catenin