lean on

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

lean¹ /lin/   v., leaned or (esp. Brit.) leant/lɛnt/  lean•ing. 

1. to bend or tilt (the body) from a vertical position: [no object]
   She leaned out the window.
   [~ + object]
   He leaned his head forward.
2. to bend or slant in a particular direction: [no object]
   The post leans to the left.
   [~ + object]
   He leaned the bike to the left.
3. to rest or lie on something for support: [no object]
   She leaned against a wall.
   [~ + object]
   He leaned the bike against the railing.
4. to depend or rely:
   [~ + on/upon] He could always lean on them in an emergency.
5. to tend to agree with or be in favor of:
   [no object] They're leaning toward our point of view.
6. lean on, [~ + on + object] [Informal.] to pressure or threaten:
   The gangster was leaning on the small businesses for more money.

lean² /lin/   adj., -er, -est, n. 
adj. 

1. (of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat;
   thin:
   lean cattle.
2. (of meat) containing little or no fat:
   lean beefsteak.
3. lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.;
   poor:
   a number of very lean years.
4. spare;
   economical:
   Our business has to become leaner if we are to survive.

n. [uncountable]
5. the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.
lean•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

lean¹  (lēn), v., leaned or (esp. Brit.) leant;
lean•ing;
 n. 
v.i. 

1. to incline or bend from a vertical position:
   She leaned out the window.
2. to incline, as in a particular direction;
   slant:
   The post leans to the left. The building leaned sharply before renovation.
3. to incline in feeling, opinion, action, etc.:
   to lean toward socialism.
4. to rest against or on something for support:
   to lean against a wall.
5. to depend or rely (usually fol. by on or upon):
   someone he could lean on in an emergency.

v.t. 

6. to incline or bend:
   He leaned his head forward.
7. to cause to lean or rest;
   prop:
   to lean a chair against the railing.
8. lean on, [Informal.]
   • to exert influence or pressure on in order to gain cooperation, maintain discipline, or the like:
     The state is leaning on the company to clean up its industrial wastes.
   • to criticize, reprimand, or punish:
     I would have enjoyed school more if the teachers hadn't leaned on me so much.
9. Idioms lean over backward(s). See bend¹ (def. 15).

n. 

10. the act or state of leaning;
    inclination:
    The tower has a pronounced lean.

• bef. 900; Middle English lenen, Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with German. lehnen; akin to Latin clīnāre to incline, Greek klí̄nein

lean²  (lēn), adj., -er, -est, n. 
adj. 

1. (of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat;
   not plump or fat;
   thin:
   lean cattle.
2. (of edible meat) containing little or no fat.
3. lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.;
   poor:
   a lean diet; lean years.
4. Communications spare;
   economical:
   a lean prose style.
5. Automotive (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with rich).
6. (of paint) having more pigment than oil. Cf. fat (def. 12).
7. Nautical, Naval Terms (of a bow) having fine lines;
   sharp.
8. Metallurgy (of ore) having a low mineral content;
   low-grade.

n. 

9. the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.
10. the lean part of anything.
11. Printing [Typesetting.] matter that is difficult to set because of complexity or intermixed fonts. Cf. fat (def. 25).

• Middle English lene, Old English hlǣne bef. 1000

lean′ly, adv. 
lean′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. skinny, lank, lanky. See thin. 
• 3. sparse, barren, unfruitful, jejune.

Antonyms

• 1, 2. fat.
• 3. fruitful.

Lean  (lēn), n. 

1. Biographical David, 1908–91, British film director.