Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

lean

[leen] / lin /






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:

Warsh seemed to lean on recent wobbles in riskier assets and a slight decline in market-based inflation expectations, Cabana said, but those wobbles “were not that big.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Coming next, though, there are a whole series of crunchy decisions and trade offs – economic and political – some of which are inevitable and some of which Burnham has decided to lean into.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Their lean body mass remained comparable to that of the control animals.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

SpaceX maintains that it can make back what it spends to add computing power in less than a year, which could limit how much it needs to lean on financing.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

I adjust my backpack and lean on the doorframe, uncertain of what I should do.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

He is in his early 20s, leaner than in subsequent pictures, and without the dramatic mane of hair he later acquired, but his intensity is unmistakable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

It is easy to see why JLR's chief executive PJ Balaji feels action is necessary to trim costs and make the company leaner.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

“We are running a little leaner right now, with less oil in the tanks,” Mahil said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

"Uber is aiming to create a leaner organization with fewer managerial layers and move faster in investing into growth," Wedbush said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

The portions at breakfast keep getting smaller and smaller, and even dinner—the only normal-size meal we get—is getting leaner by the day.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

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

The leanest pork cuts include the loin, tenderloin, center loin and ham.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 22, 2024

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

The advice to omit needless words should not be confused with the puritanical edict that all writers must pare every sentence down to the shortest, leanest, most abstemious version possible.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

The vehicle may also play an important role in Tesla’s lineup someday as its only car driven by humans, as the company leans further into autonomous driving, AI and robotics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Seafood has been slower to face such scrutiny, though, as the world leans further into aquaculture, that may change, she said, particularly if more governments begin restricting imports tied to illegality or unsustainable practices.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

Picture a developer trying to build a hillside home; a commission that’s wary of such projects could reject it, while another commission that leans more pro-housing could approve it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

The global North leans toward consumer uses such as shopping, search and feedback, according to the report.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Colin leans over to look at the crossword puzzle.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Prior to the policy changes, Garcia leaned left but followed politics only from a distance.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Harper leaned into the L.A. experience, exploring the sprawling city, particularly its nature, and connecting with old friends on a deeper level.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

They did not attempt to find the quirks in this familiar score, but rather leaned into its inherent merits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

“It weakens the ‘no low-band’ rebuttal management teams have leaned on,” Maral wrote.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Then she hopped it jerkily across her mother’s shoulder to her cheek and leaned it in as if it gave her a kiss.

From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott

His controversial legacy is one she leant into throughout the campaign, promising a tough military crackdown on organised crime, in particular extortion incidents that have soared in recent years.

From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026

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

Like the rest of Europe, Germany leant on the United States for its security for decades.

From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026

The family also claims the new authorities have leant on the courts to find them guilty.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2025

I couldn’t help it, I leant o’er Spangler’s side and retched.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

One Wall Street veteran said he is leaning toward the latter.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

Most cuttingly, the reality TV veteran accused Maher of leaning heavily on canned applause and a laugh track to sell the idea that he’s funny.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

The practical special effects seem to be on the booer’s side, leaning on stagy but charming in-camera tricks that have gone out of style, like switching actors between close-ups.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

"Life isn't all a calm river, it's complicated, but we grit our teeth and we work," she tells me leaning over shelves of butchered pork.

From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026

The girl is leaning back against her mum and staring straight at the camera.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler


Vocabulary lists containing lean

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training