1
as in to tilt
to set or cause to be at an angle
just lean the ladder against the tree and climb up it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in skinny
having a noticeably small amount of body fat
all of the marathoners are extremely lean
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in slope
the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon
the wall has enough of a lean that we can't set a bookcase against it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lean
Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
At another point after the funeral service, Sarah was seen leaning forward to try and chat with Prince William and Princess Kate, as seen in a video on The Daily Mail.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Jason Dinh, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025
During lean times like the Great Depression when ingredients were scarce and nothing went to waste, this distinction mattered.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The Mercer 41 sleeper sofa—made to fit two guests quite comfortably—channels a Bauhaus vibe with its metal frame, and the green corduroy upholstery leans into today’s penchant for all things ’70s.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean
Verb
Davis’s seat already is leaning toward Republicans by three points; under the new map, the GOP would have an 11-point advantage in his district.
—Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
At another point after the funeral service, Sarah was seen leaning forward to try and chat with Prince William and Princess Kate, as seen in a video on The Daily Mail.
—Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Average people and hobby joggers will never approach that apparent limit, which amounts to burning roughly 3,750 calories per day for a lean, 150-pound person.
—Jason Dinh, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2025
During lean times like the Great Depression when ingredients were scarce and nothing went to waste, this distinction mattered.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 20 Oct. 2025
Noun
The list that follows leans mostly toward dives with history, little gems that cater to a wider range of ages and offer more to the palate than cheap beer.
—The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
The Mercer 41 sleeper sofa—made to fit two guests quite comfortably—channels a Bauhaus vibe with its metal frame, and the green corduroy upholstery leans into today’s penchant for all things ’70s.
—Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lean
Verb
-
The Endeavor features a centrifugal force spinning disk that tilts upwards.—
Brady MacDonald,
Oc Register,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Though conservative Ohio courts always conspired to tilt her battle uphill, the initial suit made a splash.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s a lot of stuff in the ocean, and marine debris tends to aggregate in the same places as does the whale sharks’ primary prey.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Chickens with reddish-brown feathers and red earlobes tend to lay brown eggs.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Transfers out and in should rely on a number of factors, including the upcoming fixtures for the outgoing and incoming players, as well as their underlying numbers.—
Holly Shand,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Yet beneath its delightful surface, Nobody Wants This remains an uneven show—one that relies too heavily on its effervescent stars and, despite treating them with more kindness this time around, still struggles with its Jewish women.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Crafted in Italy, the roomy, slip-on silhouette boasted a silver-tone leather upper, as well as a pointy toe and skinny 105mm stiletto heel.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Footwear News,
26 Oct. 2025
-
To portray the famous couple, Kourtney wore a mesh T-shirt, studded leather pants and a curly blonde wig, while the Blink-182 drummer wore a leather jacket, skinny jeans and a spiked black wig.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Renovations on the previous building had been paused by the district in 2019 due to the cost related to its many levels and slopes.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Children ran up and down the grassy slope behind the Capitol as their families protested on James Robertson Parkway.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Drawings of the Duffield Cave, as seen in the YouTube video, show that the section has a narrow entrance, then curves upward before flowing left, dropping down again and bending right before angling back up to a larger chamber.—
Mark Gray,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Ferrara, an innocent no longer, is angling to prize $25,000 out of the Horse’s coffers to finance his first feature.—
Nick Pinkerton,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Given the fluidity of the game, teams will often shape shift depending on the sequence being played — although perhaps not quite as frequently as Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has previously suggested.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The former offers maximum leverage of 40-times for bitcoin and 25-times for ether, while Aster offers as much as 1,001x leverage, depending on the token.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Instead of a hearty stew of beans, meat, and spices like cumin and chili powder, Skyline or Cincinnati chili is a thinner, slightly sweet meat sauce with strong notes of cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
23 Oct. 2025
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What the team found instead was a thin layer of clay, less than one-hundredth of an inch thick, which had formed on top of the animals’ skin.—
Amanda Schupak,
CNN Money,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lean.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lean. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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