lean
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“We have to lean in to that because that’s evaporating in the fast food space.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
I’ll lean toward Root and a big night for “Widow’s Bay.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
However, the platinum market remains fragile given its reliance on “exceptionally lean and increasingly illiquid” stocks, the council said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
"There's some very serious considerations around this, but my main message would be we need to lean into it," he says.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
I throw my pencil down in frustration and lean back so hard against my headboard that it smacks against the wall.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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The move marks one of Uber's largest restructurings in years and signals a shift towards a leaner operating model.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
"A leaner organization will mean clearer ownership, faster decisions, and more time spent building rather than coordinating," the message said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Northern sled dogs became compact and heavily coated for cold conditions, while hunting dogs near the equator tended to be leaner and better suited to heat.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 10, 2026
Unlike the Hollywood Bowl, which has fleets of shuttles ready to go, F&M Bank Amphitheater’s shuttle operation felt a bit leaner.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
The second knife is shorter with a leaner tip and is used for detail work.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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A commonly eaten meat in Australia, kangaroo is the world’s leanest protein and the equivalent of venison in America.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
It's not a lie - I was never the leanest cricketer in the world, but I won games for franchises.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2023
"Sell in May and go away" is based on the premise that the best six-month period of the year for stock market returns is November to April, while the leanest is May to October.
From Reuters ● May 5, 2023
Schrader takes a page from the great journalism movies — most notably “All the President’s Men” and, more recently, “Spotlight” — by paring down the narrative to its leanest, most unfussy elements.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 16, 2022
Study after study shows that the leanest curriculums are being offered in the highest-poverty areas, despite ample evidence that this is exactly the wrong thing to do.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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No clerk leans across the counter and demands proof that a candle-worthy occasion has actually occurred.
From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026
If anything, it is making ENSO’s variability “kind of lopsided,” Cole said, meaning that the change in variability leans toward stronger warm events than cold ones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
The chain also leans into the hype of new locations.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Another tactic Bielsa leans on is the use of wide pairings or trios to break teams down.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
She extends her hand back to me and then stays by my side and leans into me slightly, and it feels as if we’ve always known each other.
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
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She grieved his death through art, painting a large oil portrait of him wearing a cowboy hat that she leaned against the wall of her Brooklyn loft.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
“We pray that they don’t give it away,” he said as we leaned over the boat’s side and looked out at the island over the waves.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Chelsea have leaned on their star attackers in Morgan Rogers, a resurgent Cole Palmer and the prolific Joao Pedro in their opening three matches.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Tennis Association has leaned into the Open’s status as a cultural event as well as an athletic one.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
‘You see the three bars above the middle finger? Those are lines of power, warding off evil’ She leaned closer.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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Researchers said the work also leant further credence to a theory about humpback whale patterns known as the "Southern Ocean Exchange".
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
The family also claims the new authorities have leant on the courts to find them guilty.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025
Then he leant closer and told me he didn't have to worry: "Rick will save me."
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025
It leant the audience a discerning sense of agency, as we could control the show but only to a point.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2025
As the car turned in at the lodge gates I leant forward in my seat to smile at the woman who lived there.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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“I’m personally more interested in leaning towards local burns because I think that I’m more likely to find community and true connection there,” Dandy, a twenty-something from the Seattle area, said.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
At a Zoom hearing on Aug. 28, Seabright appeared to signal which way he is leaning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
The jury has been deadlocked 11-1 with the majority apparently leaning towards finding the 36-year-old Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Waller said he was leaning against supporting a rate hike in September because it looked as if inflation was finally starting to trend lower.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
All the dogs are asleep, spread out across the grass and one of the other mushers in the race is leaning over the empty sled with his fist raised.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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Vocabulary lists containing lean
"Joyas Voladoras" by Brian Doyle
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Paltry Parlance: Synonyms for "Few"
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