leaned

past tense of lean
1
2
as in tended
to show a liking or proneness (for something) the family's diet leans toward greasy food

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of leaned What’s Happening Hollister leaned into the moment Gen Z handed it. — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026 The president’s 2024 campaign leaned into crypto to attract young men, a demographic that is deserting Republicans in the midterms. — Isaac Arnsdorf, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026 Cruise, in turn, leaned into the festivities, dancing with several crew members and having an absolute ball. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2026 Older approaches leaned heavily on function at the expense of style. — Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026 The two major Senate campaigns and some third-party groups have leaned into that sentiment — that Alaska is different — and cast their candidates as authentic voices for Alaskans. — Becky Bohrer, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026 Grohl leaned into a rock ‘n roll style moment as he and the remaining members of Nirvana, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, were honored with the Video Vanguard Award during the evening. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026 At the same time, Milan leaned into a sense of sexy opulence in eveningwear. — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026 For a band that leaned so heavily on minimalism in the past, using Fridmann allows for some exciting new directions. — David Harris, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leaned
Verb
  • Sierra tilted his head down throughout Jaen-Rosello’s testimony.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The Crown tilted the playing field in favor of the company by giving it a monopoly over the legal market.
    — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Archaeologists have tended to look at the paintings in these burial chambers as two-dimensional images to analyze.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In the team’s earlier design, the very soft fibrin gel tended to wrinkle as the muscle cells pulled against it.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Many off-grid communities have long relied on costly, polluting diesel generators.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Obama himself relied heavily on the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force — passed by Congress under Bush — in his military campaign against Islamic State during his presidency.
    — Christopher Buchanan, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • For now, the VIX futures curve is sloped healthily upward into coming months, but things can shift in a hurry.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Most ground is sloped and covered in loose gravel or ankle-twisting stones.
    — Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • That changed two weeks ago, when one death was finally counted, and again last week when a second was added to the agency's tally.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, there’s still an election to be held, votes to be cast and ballots to be counted.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Presidents angled for monuments honoring their predecessors, not themselves.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 28 Sep. 2026
  • When play resumed, Pettaway busted through Bowling Green's kick coverage, angled toward the right sideline and picked up a key block from Dominic Overby on his way to a 100-yard touchdown.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Independent businesses that once depended on customers walking through their doors gained the opportunity to reach shoppers anywhere, competing with national chains in ways that would have been unimaginable before.
    — Dax Dasilva, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In June 2023, when the column of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary company moved up the highway toward Moscow, Putin depended on his security services to tell him what was happening.
    — Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Leaned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leaned. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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