Illustration of lever
- lever 2a
1
a
: a bar used for prying or dislodging something
b
: an inducing or compelling force : tool
use food as a political lever—
Time
Time2
a
: a rigid piece that transmits and modifies force or motion when forces are applied at two points and it turns about a third
specifically
: a rigid bar used to exert a pressure or sustain a weight at one point of its length by the application of a force at a second and turning at a third on a fulcrum
b
: a projecting piece by which a mechanism (see mechanism sense 1) is operated or adjusted
levered; levering
ˈle-və-riŋ 
ˈlē-;
ˈlev-riŋ,
ˈlēv-
1
: to pry, raise, or move with or as if with a lever
2
: to operate (a device) in the manner of a lever
Synonyms
Examples of lever in a Sentence
Noun
They used their money as a lever to gain political power.
Verb
He levered the rock out of the hole.
the workers used crowbars to lever the heavy stone block into its new position
Recent Examples on the WebYuri Kageyama, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
In the guestrooms, deadbolt locks are lowered, door night guards lowered, doors with lever handles, electrical outlets lowered, hearing accessible rooms and/or kits, accessible vanities, viewports lowered, wireless charging pad at the nightstand.
—Chadner Navarro, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Part self-effacing memoir, part how-to for writing screenplays, and a window into how the levers of power worked in Hollywood, this book is a stone-cold classic.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The administration has already used several other creative levers to relieve roughly $146 billion in student loans.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
There are those who would say that seeing, witnessing, is a lever of doing.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2024
But this policy lever, even if politically palatable to U.S. voters, has built-in limitations.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
How does this become an important lever in quantum teleportation?
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
There were three levers the Administration could’ve pulled.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Brett Owens, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Laboriously, the regime of physical therapy trained him to lever himself from wheelchair to bed or lavatory and back, and even, for a few fearful steps, to walk with a cane.
—Colin Thubron, The New York Review of Books, 19 Jan. 2023
The trades, in some cases, have been levered 50-to-1, according to two of the people.
—Sonali Basak, Fortune, 26 May 2023
Boko Haram, the jihadist group that kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in 2014, igniting the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign, released a video claiming credit for the Katsina kidnapping, which officials later said was an attempt to lever influence over negotiations.
—Joe Parkinson, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2021
And the second is levered door handles.
—Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023
This machine came mostly assembled, but the tube frame that all the controls are mounted onto needed to be unfolded and levered into place, and then secured with bolts.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2023
Unfortunately for Putin, besides the Cassandra-like handwringing of some misguided media commentators, there remains little evidence that his efforts to lever energy as the wedge to divide civil society are paying any concrete dividends.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 25 July 2022
If so, squeeze the brake lever several times to see if the pistons retract.
—Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 3 June 2020
Noun
Companies are under even more pressure than usual to report fatter profits and revenue because the other lever that sets stock prices, interest rates, looks unlikely to add much lift soon.
—Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 16 Apr. 2024
In the guestrooms, deadbolt locks are lowered, door night guards lowered, doors with lever handles, electrical outlets lowered, hearing accessible rooms and/or kits, accessible vanities, viewports lowered, wireless charging pad at the nightstand.
—Chadner Navarro, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2024
Part self-effacing memoir, part how-to for writing screenplays, and a window into how the levers of power worked in Hollywood, this book is a stone-cold classic.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The administration has already used several other creative levers to relieve roughly $146 billion in student loans.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
There are those who would say that seeing, witnessing, is a lever of doing.
—Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2024
But this policy lever, even if politically palatable to U.S. voters, has built-in limitations.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Mar. 2024
How does this become an important lever in quantum teleportation?
—Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024
There were three levers the Administration could’ve pulled.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Wall Street has 2 Holds and 2 Sells on USAC units—the MLP is heavily levered, and high levels of investment will impede its ability to de-lever in the short term.
—Brett Owens, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
Laboriously, the regime of physical therapy trained him to lever himself from wheelchair to bed or lavatory and back, and even, for a few fearful steps, to walk with a cane.
—Colin Thubron, The New York Review of Books, 19 Jan. 2023
The trades, in some cases, have been levered 50-to-1, according to two of the people.
—Sonali Basak, Fortune, 26 May 2023
Boko Haram, the jihadist group that kidnapped 276 schoolgirls in 2014, igniting the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign, released a video claiming credit for the Katsina kidnapping, which officials later said was an attempt to lever influence over negotiations.
—Joe Parkinson, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2021
And the second is levered door handles.
—Dirk Sutro, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2023
This machine came mostly assembled, but the tube frame that all the controls are mounted onto needed to be unfolded and levered into place, and then secured with bolts.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 17 Feb. 2023
Unfortunately for Putin, besides the Cassandra-like handwringing of some misguided media commentators, there remains little evidence that his efforts to lever energy as the wedge to divide civil society are paying any concrete dividends.
—Steven Tian, Fortune, 25 July 2022
If so, squeeze the brake lever several times to see if the pistons retract.
—Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 3 June 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lever.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lever
Cite this Entry
“Lever.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lever. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
: a bar used to pry or move something
2
: a stiff bar for applying a force (as for lifting a weight) at one point of its length by effort at a second point and turning at a third point on a fulcrum
3
: a bar or rod used to run or adjust something
a gearshift lever
Etymology
Noun
Middle English lever "bar for prying," from early French levier (same meaning), from lever (verb) "to raise," from Latin levare "to raise" — related to elevate
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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