leans 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of lean
1
as in tilts
to set or cause to be at an angle just lean the ladder against the tree and climb up it

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2
as in tends
to show a liking or proneness (for something) the family's diet leans toward greasy food

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3

leans

2 of 2

noun

plural of lean
as in inclines
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

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 leans
Verb
On TikTok and Telegram, the group's original content leans into teenage angst, femininity and traditional gender roles. Lauren Fichten, CBS News, 25 June 2026 Season 5 leans into the series’ best qualities, trusting its cast of breakout stars to turn a relatively simple meal into an indelible final course. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 June 2026 Like many makeup artists working on an editorial set, French leans toward mixing and cocktailing products to create unique shades. Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 25 June 2026 ScaleDown leans the other way, toward a cloud API a developer can drop into an existing environment and start calling immediately, while still offering self-hosting for teams that need it. Joe Toscano, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 The marketing leans hard into that hope. Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026 Beside the striping and F50 branding, the F50 Formotion leans heavily into the retro running look, which often also features metallic silver, with its application of synthetic overlays over a mesh base. Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 June 2026 The University of Pittsburgh’s record-setting growth is reshaping both its campus and Oakland, as the university leans into a long-term expansion plan that adds student beds, new facilities and economic heft to one of Pennsylvania’s busiest urban districts. Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 23 June 2026 For its new arrivals, the brand once again leans into that strength, offering a mix of summer staples, office tailoring, and vacation pieces that will take your wardrobe from now through the warmest months and into the early days of fall. Irina Grechko, Vogue, 18 June 2026
Noun
From the cozy Kringle Kitchen room to the rustic Country Christmas displays, each section caters to a different decorating style, whether your aesthetic leans classic, whimsical, or over-the-top festive. Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 12 June 2026 Inspired by Japanese listening bars, the cocktail menu leans into drinks made with iichiko (the highest grade of shochu, a barley liquor), Japanese whisky, and peppery shiso. Tanya Edwards, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 June 2026 The scoop-neck cut leans into the minimalist 90s aesthetic and allows this piece to double as a bodysuit when worn under linen pants or silk shorts. Cassie Gill, Travel + Leisure, 1 June 2026 Designed by London studio Interiors With Art, the aesthetic leans into understated Art Deco touches; sycamore wood panelling, Murano glass lighting, brushed gold accents, and a palette inspired by nearby Hyde Park in autumn. Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 May 2026 Case in point is the Koala Bear, which embraces the roots of the small living movement and leans into its strength as a portable home for one or two modern nomads. Adam Williams may 24, New Atlas, 24 May 2026 The company’s public framing leans so heavily on markets as an early proving ground. Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 8 May 2026 Musically, Middle of Nowhere leans into traditions shaped in small-town Texas dancehalls (pedal steel, Norteño accordion and other border-blurring textures) but rarely plays it straight. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 1 May 2026 If home aesthetic leans minimalistic, this simple, soft quilt set may be your perfect bedding match. Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leans
Verb
  • Your 11th House of Friends tilts against routines as the instinctive Moon forms a quincunx to passionate Mars in your 6th House of Work.
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 23 June 2026
  • So instead of rotating with its axis straight up and down, the Earth tilts slightly to one side.
    Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • The word adventure tends to conjure images of people climbing mountains, kayaking through rapids, or traveling to remote corners of the world.
    Rafaela Jinich, The Atlantic, 20 June 2026
  • At 31 with real name value and a résumé built on a three-fight win streak that once earned him a Makhachev main event, Moises is the type who tends to land on his feet.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • The company employs fewer than 50 people and relies on technology similar to what’s used in self-driving cars, including radar, lidar and cameras that provide a 360-degree view around the vehicle.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2026
  • The administration’s weapons procurement budget request heavily relies on the reconciliation package, which requires only a simple majority vote in the Senate rather than the usual 60 votes.
    Julia Gledhill, Forbes.com, 20 June 2026
Noun
  • Combat travel stiffness with simple SITS exercises (shoulder shrugs, inclines, twists, steps) and consider chiropractic care before and after your trip for spinal alignment.
    Sherry McAllister, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026
  • According to the project team, Pemba walked independently on sections of terrain with inclines of less than 30 degrees.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 8 June 2026
Verb
  • Solow combined the properties to build 9 West 57th Street, one of midtown’s iconic office towers, with its imposing façade that slopes up and away from the street and sweeping views of Central Park available to anyone willing to pay some of the city’s highest office rents.
    Reeves Wiedeman, Curbed, 22 June 2026
  • One of my favorite choices is developing a dry creek bed that slopes away from a home's foundation.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • From there, the workup depends on what a doctor finds.
    Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 25 June 2026
  • The results showed that under specific conditions, the generation of free electric charges in the active layer of the solar cell depends heavily on the electric field in the organic semiconductor material.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
Noun
  • There were inclinations to not fully believe in their capabilities against Argentina.
    Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 4 June 2026
  • Born to a humble family in the twilight years of the shogunate, Higuchi Natsuko (as she was born) was the fourth child and second daughter of a man with scholarly inclinations, who as a farmer had come to the capital to seek both fortune and rank.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 May 2026

Cite this Entry

“Leans.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leans. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.

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