1
a
: to incline, deviate, or bend from a vertical position
He leaned back in his chair.
b
: to cast one's weight to one side for support
Lean on me as we walk.
2
: to rely for support or inspiration
… preferred not to lean on his father in building a career.—
Current Biography
Current Biography3
: to incline in opinion, taste, or desire
leaning toward a career in chemistry
: to cause to lean : incline
The boy leaned his head on his mother's shoulder.
: the act or an instance of leaning : inclination
1
a
: lacking or deficient in flesh
b
: containing little or no fat
lean meat
2
: lacking richness, sufficiency, or productiveness
lean profits
the lean years
3
: deficient in an essential or important quality or ingredient: such as
a
of ore
: containing little valuable mineral
b
: low in combustible component
—used especially of fuel mixtures
4
: characterized by economy (as of style, expression, or operation)
leanly
adverb
: the part of meat that consists principally of lean muscle
Synonyms
Examples of lean in a Sentence
Adjective
She has a lean, athletic body.
all of the marathoners are extremely lean
Recent Examples on the WebZachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023
But on top is where the singer leaned into the vampiric (though more Twilight than Dracula).
—Vogue, 7 Sep. 2023
The research that exists on this point, however, indicates that rather than moving to the left during their time on campus, most freshmen are arriving at college already holding political views that lean that way.
—Michael Sokolove, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
It’s been encouraging to see the front office lean hard into acquiring a number of exciting players to put around Lamar Jackson in this new system; OBJ, Nelson Agholor, drafting Zay Flowers.
—Daniel Kohn, Spin, 6 Sep. 2023
The thief clumsily leans over to pick up boxes that fell from the bag as more fall onto the floor.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2023
The bond market’s initial take is that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell leaned hawkish in his Jackson Hole speech this morning.
—Sam Goldfarb, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2023
The Aldean and Anthony records, especially, lean hard into some of the genre’s nastiest impulses.
—David Cantwell, Time, 24 Aug. 2023
Eastern Christian leaned into the mission of football as a vessel for social uplift.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2023
Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
According to an earlier Pew survey, 73% of U.S.-born Asians lean Democrat, while about a quarter lean Republican.
—Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023
The ruby meat was lean and subtle, tossed with punchy slivers of pickled rhubarb and spiced intoxicatingly with coriander, fenugreek, and turmeric.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023
And he's been in on it for years, including several fairly lean ones from a results standpoint.
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2023
Ensure that the diet includes high-quality sources of lean protein, such as chicken, turkey, or fish.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
From the outside, her house looks lean and narrow, but inside, staircases jut out of unexpected corners, rising higher and higher.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
Staying seated and keeping the medicine ball on your chest, lean torso backwards then rotate the shoulders to one side.
—Jennifer Nied, Women's Health, 30 Aug. 2023
Fueling yourself with lots of satiating protein and slow-release carbohydrates, like lean meat, fish, oats, and sweet potatoes, is a good way to maintain a level blood sugar balance.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2023
Anna Hirtenstein, WSJ, 21 Sep. 2023
And conservatives captured the State Supreme Court in last year’s elections, upending it from a 4-to-3 liberal lean to a 5-to-2 conservative advantage.
—Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, 2 July 2023
The question of how liberal is too liberal is obviously a subjective one, but there is some objective data to substantiate the leftward lean of American college campuses.
—Paul Tough, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
On the question of whether using sugar or simple syrup was preferable, there was a strong lean toward using sugar as is, without the additional dilution added by simple syrup.
—M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
Economy class seats are so small that even a little bit of lean can eliminate the ability to work on a laptop computer.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 26 May 2023
For comparison, according to FiveThirtyEight, Democrats outperformed the weighted partisan lean by about 4% in special elections held between the 2018 midterms and the 2020 elections, when Biden won the White House by 4.5% but Democrats underperformed in House races.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2023
This leaves the relationship in a place of strain but not strife – with a lean towards more significant gaps in the future.
—Ryan Bohl, Time, 4 Aug. 2023
The reverse angle shows how Pagan thinks others see him — in a white undershirt and beanie, walking with a gangster’s exaggerated lean, looking for something to steal.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 July 2023
See More
Verb
In response to an increase in COVID-19 cases, very few communities, most of them in areas that lean Democratic, have brought back masks in recent days.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Sep. 2023
But on top is where the singer leaned into the vampiric (though more Twilight than Dracula).
—Vogue, 7 Sep. 2023
The research that exists on this point, however, indicates that rather than moving to the left during their time on campus, most freshmen are arriving at college already holding political views that lean that way.
—Michael Sokolove, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
It’s been encouraging to see the front office lean hard into acquiring a number of exciting players to put around Lamar Jackson in this new system; OBJ, Nelson Agholor, drafting Zay Flowers.
—Daniel Kohn, Spin, 6 Sep. 2023
The thief clumsily leans over to pick up boxes that fell from the bag as more fall onto the floor.
—Rachel Uranga, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2023
The bond market’s initial take is that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell leaned hawkish in his Jackson Hole speech this morning.
—Sam Goldfarb, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2023
The Aldean and Anthony records, especially, lean hard into some of the genre’s nastiest impulses.
—David Cantwell, Time, 24 Aug. 2023
Eastern Christian leaned into the mission of football as a vessel for social uplift.
—Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2023
Adjective
Because venison is a lean meat, the chuck does the work of adding more fat and richness to the chili.
—Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 2023
According to an earlier Pew survey, 73% of U.S.-born Asians lean Democrat, while about a quarter lean Republican.
—Sakshi Venkatraman, NBC News, 19 Sep. 2023
The ruby meat was lean and subtle, tossed with punchy slivers of pickled rhubarb and spiced intoxicatingly with coriander, fenugreek, and turmeric.
—Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 17 Sep. 2023
And he's been in on it for years, including several fairly lean ones from a results standpoint.
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 4 Sep. 2023
Ensure that the diet includes high-quality sources of lean protein, such as chicken, turkey, or fish.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 31 Aug. 2023
From the outside, her house looks lean and narrow, but inside, staircases jut out of unexpected corners, rising higher and higher.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
Staying seated and keeping the medicine ball on your chest, lean torso backwards then rotate the shoulders to one side.
—Jennifer Nied, Women's Health, 30 Aug. 2023
Fueling yourself with lots of satiating protein and slow-release carbohydrates, like lean meat, fish, oats, and sweet potatoes, is a good way to maintain a level blood sugar balance.
—Georgia Day, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2023
Noun
Market pricing showed expectations are divided nearly evenly between the two, with a slight lean towards a pause.
—Anna Hirtenstein, WSJ, 21 Sep. 2023
And conservatives captured the State Supreme Court in last year’s elections, upending it from a 4-to-3 liberal lean to a 5-to-2 conservative advantage.
—Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, 2 July 2023
The question of how liberal is too liberal is obviously a subjective one, but there is some objective data to substantiate the leftward lean of American college campuses.
—Paul Tough, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2023
On the question of whether using sugar or simple syrup was preferable, there was a strong lean toward using sugar as is, without the additional dilution added by simple syrup.
—M. Carrie Allan, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023
Economy class seats are so small that even a little bit of lean can eliminate the ability to work on a laptop computer.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 26 May 2023
For comparison, according to FiveThirtyEight, Democrats outperformed the weighted partisan lean by about 4% in special elections held between the 2018 midterms and the 2020 elections, when Biden won the White House by 4.5% but Democrats underperformed in House races.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2023
This leaves the relationship in a place of strain but not strife – with a lean towards more significant gaps in the future.
—Ryan Bohl, Time, 4 Aug. 2023
The reverse angle shows how Pagan thinks others see him — in a white undershirt and beanie, walking with a gangster’s exaggerated lean, looking for something to steal.
—Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb (1) and Noun (1)
Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian; akin to Old High German hlinēn to lean, Greek klinein, Latin clinare
Adjective
Middle English lene, from Old English hlǣne
First Known Use
Verb (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a
Noun (1)
1776, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (2)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
15th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of lean was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing lean
Articles Related to lean
Dictionary Entries Near lean
Cite this Entry
“Lean.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
lean
1 of 4 verb1
a
: to slant or cause to slant or bend from an upright position
the tree leans to one side
lean a ladder against a wall
b
: to cast one's weight to one side for support
lean on me
2
: to depend for support
lean on one's family in a crisis
3
: to tend in opinion, taste, or desire
lean toward simplicity
lean
2 of 4 noun
: the act or an instance of leaning
lean
3 of 4 adjective1
a
: having little body fat
lean cattle
b
: containing little or no fat
lean meat
2
: lacking richness or fullness
a lean fuel-air mixture
lean
4 of 4 noun
: the part of meat that consists mainly of fat-free muscle
Etymology
Verb
Old English hleonian "to slant to one side"
Adjective
Old English hlǣne "having very little body flesh"
Biographical Definition
More from Merriam-Webster on lean
Nglish: Translation of lean for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of lean for Arabic Speakers
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