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

Many progressives at the time saw that as surrendering leverage for nothing concrete. —Nik Popli, Time, 26 Sep. 2025

Key defensive players have drawn special teams penalties, too, most notably Dondrea Tillman’s leverage foul on the deciding field goal against Indianapolis, but also Bonitto lining up offside on the punt. —Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025

Verb

Some operations even leveraged ChatGPT to generate fake social media posts designed to stoke political division in the US. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Sep. 2025

Additionally, conversations included panel discussions on leveraging content creators and influencers for digital campaigns, expanding on new and existing fandoms through live experiences, virtual reality reshaping entertainment, integrating AI to elevate human creativity, among other topics. —Giana Levy, Variety, 26 Sep. 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