leverage 1 of 2

noun

ˈle-və-rij How to pronounce leverage (audio)
Definition of leveragenext
as in influence
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly lacking much of the leverage it once had, the union is now being forced to make some concessions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

leverage

2 of 2

verb

as in to use
to take unfair advantage of a reality show contestant who's trying to leverage her 15 minutes of fame

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 leverage
Noun
If a team already has strong engineering discipline, AI can give that team more leverage. — Ishraq Khan, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026 This year, the people with the most leverage in the room are the ones building the technology that could take away their power. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 8 July 2026
Verb
Several firms have emerged to help organizations leverage these capabilities. — William Jones, USA Today, 7 July 2026 For Nike, that has meant leveraging sales of its performance gear—official jerseys and soccer boots meant to be worn on the pitch. — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for leverage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leverage
  1. influence
  2. use
  3. sway
  4. exploit
  5. manipulate
  6. abuse
Noun
  • But tomorrow — or a week from now — Ream hopes the team can celebrate the influence its World Cup run made on the sport and the country.
    — Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Which Beyoncé song would Hart have liked to work into Lestat’s music as an influence?
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of influence
Verb
  • When the Wright brothers first flew, the doubt was never about whether the machine worked, but whether flight would ever be something ordinary people used without a second thought.
    — Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • In the Tahoe Basin, the Caldor fire restoration plan outlines roughly 3,600 acres where the Forest Service could use ground crews to apply herbicide directly to shrubs — no aerial spraying.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Definition of use
Noun
  • In interviews, criminologists and violence researchers told me all three crimes raised credible concerns about Mangione’s sway on other suspects.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 7 July 2026
  • Although Chicago had its issues with redlining and massive disinvestment that left generational scars on some primarily Black neighborhoods, the small town ethos held little sway over me.
    — Dawn M. Turner, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of sway
Verb
  • Parties have exploited lulls in fighting to buy time, rebuild capabilities and consolidate political or territorial gains ahead of the next round of conflict.
    — Anthony Wanis-St John, The Conversation, 10 July 2026
  • Instead of performing occasional security audits, organisations will increasingly use AI to test their systems continuously, helping identify vulnerabilities before they can be exploited.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026
Definition of exploit
Verb
  • And we’re all being manipulated, which social media plays up.
    — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
  • Solve The Client's Real Problems Sales teams should understand clients emotionally, but not manipulate them through fear or pressure.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of manipulate
Verb
  • OpenAI says its threat reports draw on its view of how actors try to abuse AI models, often in combination with other platforms and tools.
    — Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
  • Four people represented by the ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit in May accusing the task force of abusing the law to block them from documenting officers’ actions, sometimes ordering them to stay more than 100 feet away from arrest scenes.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
Definition of abuse

Browse Nearby Words

lever
leverage
leveraged
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leverage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leverage. Accessed 13 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on leverage

Nglish: Translation of leverage for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All