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

• authority
• clout
• credit
• heft
• in
• influence
• juice [slang]
• pull
• sway
• weight

Verb

• abuse
• capitalize (on)
• cash in (on)
• exploit
• impose (on or upon)
• milk
• pimp
• play (on or upon)
• use
• work

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

Ruby Chen told Biden and other U.S. officials who called in the wake of the news that his family’s journey was not over, and — just as when his son was classified as a hostage — urged them to use all possible leverage to bring him home. —Shira Rubin, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

The loss of some leverage, combined with a rising unemployment rate, implies that employers can hire and retain talent less expensively, Sojourner told CNN. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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