Mechanics. a rigid bar that pivots about one point and that is used to move an object at a second point by a force applied at a third.Compare machine (def. 4b).
a means or agency of persuading or of achieving an end: Saying that the chairman of the board likes the plan is just a lever to get us to support it.
Horology. the pallet of an escapement.
verb (used with or without object)
to move with or apply a lever: to lever a rock; to lever mightily and to no avail.
Origin of lever
1250–1300; Middle English levere, levour for *lever<Anglo-French; Old French levier, equivalent to lev(er) to lift (<Latin levāre to lighten, lift, verbal derivative of levis light) + -ier-ier2
OTHER WORDS FROM lever
re·lev·er,verb (used with object)
Words nearby lever
level of significance, level pegging, level playing field, level with someone, Leven, lever, lever action, leverage, leveraged buyout, lever escapement, leveret
Definition for lever (2 of 2)
Lever
[ lee-ver ]
/ ˈli vər /
noun
Charles James"Cornelius O'Dowd", 1806–72, Irish novelist and essayist.
The 65cc and up bikes start to introduce manual clutches and require more rider skills to modulate the clutch lever and click through gears via the shifter.
Your kid wants a dirt bike. Here’s what to buy them.|By Serena Bleeker/Dirt Rider|September 4, 2020|Popular Science
It’s gone from a “strategic lever for the future to a strategic lever for right now,” he says.
How scary will a COVID-19 Halloween be for candy companies?|Beth Kowitt|August 29, 2020|Fortune
For Mead and Benedict, social theory was a tool for making sense of the world, but it could also be a lever against your own predicaments.
Gender Is What You Make of It - Issue 88: Love & Sex|Charles King|August 5, 2020|Nautilus
In that case, even if we can directly manipulate some of them the way we can directly manipulate links, it’s much harder to know which levers to pull and the most direct way to try to impact the numbers we’re judged on, again, becomes brand.
Why SEOs should care about brand|Robin Lord|July 31, 2020|Search Engine Land
It won’t be without its challenges, but it’s a policy lever we might pull.
How to Prevent Another Great Depression (Ep. 421)|Stephen J. Dubner|June 11, 2020|Freakonomics
That is, TFA is neither a lever for dramatically improving or ruining U.S. public education.
Stop Scapegoating Teach for America|Conor P. Williams|September 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A campaign button on his lapel showed him in a smile and a suit, and advertised his name and lever.
The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis|Richard Ben Cramer|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Walker is betting that when the time comes to vote, Republicans will pull the lever for a person who gets things done.
Scott Walker Is the Perfect Republican Candidate for 2016 (on Paper)|David Freedlander|November 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The British were bombed, but we are fighting on some islands belonging to the Lever Company, a British concern making soap.
JFK Letter: ‘War Is a Dirty Business’|John F. Kennedy|November 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
People who play slot machines are excited because they never know when pulling the lever will result in a jackpot.
Porn Boycott: Pastor Jay Dennis Wants You to Join 1 Million Men|Winston Ross|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The lever escapement is the only one known to have been used, but two varieties of this are found (see fig. 11).
The Auburndale Watch Company|Edwin A. Battison
As he clung to the lever he watched the first truck come to grief in an instant.
The Hero of Panama|F. S. Brereton
It is plain that a gear, like a lever, may change direction as well as increase or decrease power.
Practical Mechanics for Boys|J. S. Zerbe
He has seen so much done by energy and money that he probably thought the one as legitimate a lever into Parliament as the other.
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England Vol. II (of IV),--1857-1874|Charles L. Graves
McClintock, on one knee, was working the lever of his rifle like a saw.
The Land of Strong Men|Arthur M. Chisholm
British Dictionary definitions for lever
lever
/ (ˈliːvə) /
noun
a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum, used to transfer a force to a load and usually to provide a mechanical advantage
any of a number of mechanical devices employing this principle
a means of exerting pressure in order to accomplish something; strategic aid
verb
to prise or move (an object) with a lever
Derived forms of lever
lever-like, adjective
Word Origin for lever
C13: from Old French leveour, from lever to raise, from Latin levāre, from levis light
leverage, crowbar, tool, pedal, bar, pry, advantage, crow, prise, lam, jimmy, binder, jack, treadle, peavey, peavy, pinch bar
Scientific definitions for lever
lever
[ lĕv′ər ]
A simple machine consisting of a bar that pivots on a fixed support, or fulcrum, and is used to transmit torque. A force applied by pushing down on one end of the lever results in a force pushing up at the other end. If the fulcrum is not positioned in the middle of the lever, then the force applied to one end will not yield the same force on the other, since the torque must be the same on either side of the fulcrum. Levers, like gears, can thus be used to increase the force available from a mechanical power source. See more at fulcrum. See also mechanical advantage.