Illustration of lever
- lever 2a
1
a
: a bar used for prying or dislodging something
b
: an inducing or compelling force : tool
use food as a political lever—
Time
Time2
a
: a rigid piece that transmits and modifies force or motion when forces are applied at two points and it turns about a third
specifically
: a rigid bar used to exert a pressure or sustain a weight at one point of its length by the application of a force at a second and turning at a third on a fulcrum
b
: a projecting piece by which a mechanism (see mechanism sense 1) is operated or adjusted
levered; levering
ˈle-və-riŋ 
ˈlē-;
ˈlev-riŋ,
ˈlēv-
1
: to pry, raise, or move with or as if with a lever
2
: to operate (a device) in the manner of a lever
Examples of lever in a Sentence
Noun
They used their money as a lever to gain political power.
Verb
He levered the rock out of the hole.
the workers used crowbars to lever the heavy stone block into its new position
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Rather, the administration could use a plethora of other levers to accomplish its ambitious foreign policy goals.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
What else is new when you’re levered to China and charge more than anyone else?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lever
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
China struck many of these deals in the early 2010s, when military generals held the main levers of power in Myanmar.
—Dan Swift, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2025
Rather, the administration could use a plethora of other levers to accomplish its ambitious foreign policy goals.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
In addition to water that irrigated the crops, water supply was raised from the Nile and its waterways by means of the shaduf, a levering device with a long pole, until after the pharaonic period when the Persian Wheel or saqia arrived, typically turned by a pair of oxen.
—Vanessa Taylor, Big Think, 25 Sep. 2025
What else is new when you’re levered to China and charge more than anyone else?
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lever
Cite this Entry
“Lever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lever. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
: a bar used to pry or move something
2
: a stiff bar for applying a force (as for lifting a weight) at one point of its length by effort at a second point and turning at a third point on a fulcrum
3
: a bar or rod used to run or adjust something
a gearshift lever
Etymology
Noun
Middle English lever "bar for prying," from early French levier (same meaning), from lever (verb) "to raise," from Latin levare "to raise" — related to elevate
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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