leverage

1 of 2

noun

le·​ver·​age ˈle-və-rij 

ˈlē-;

ˈlev-rij,

ˈlēv-

1

: the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by it

2

: power, effectiveness

trying to gain more political leverage

3

: the use of credit to enhance one's speculative capacity

leverage

2 of 2

verb

leveraged; leveraging

transitive verb

1

: to provide (something, such as a corporation) or supplement (something, such as money) with leverage

also : to enhance as if by supplying with financial leverage

2

: to use for gain : exploit

shamelessly leverage the system to their advantage

—Alexander Wolff

Synonyms

Noun

• influence
• sway

Verb

• use
• exploit
• manipulate
• abuse

Examples of leverage in a Sentence

Noun

The union's size gave it leverage in the labor contract negotiations.

The player's popularity has given him a great deal of leverage with the owners of the team.

I used the leverage of the bar and a wooden block to pry the rock out of the hole.

Verb

The company wants to leverage its brands more effectively.

a reality show contestant who's trying to leverage her 15 minutes of fame

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After that, growth will depend more on retention than pricing leverage. —Steve McDowell, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

With five innings to go and just four high-leverage arms left, Shildt turned to Wandy Peralta to start the fifth. —Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025

Verb

Successful corporate ventures are usually a combination of leveraging existing assets, building new ones, partnering with others, and acquiring businesses through M&A. —Andrew Binns, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

The program will continue with testing and system enhancements, leveraging common hardware and software across other variants to ensure seamless integration and scalability, according to a press release. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 31 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1724, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1971, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for leverage

• beverage

Kids Definition

leverage

noun

le·​ver·​age

ˈlev-(ə-)rij,

ˈlēv-

: the action of a lever or the increase in force gained by using a lever

Legal Definition

leverage

1 of 2 noun

le·​ver·​age ˈle-vrij, -və-rij 

: the use of credit to enhance one's speculative capacity

leverage

2 of 2 transitive verb

leveraged; leveraging

: to provide (as a corporation) or supplement (as money) with leverage