lean

verb

/liːn/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they lean	/liːn/ /liːn/
he / she / it leans	/liːnz/ /liːnz/
past simple leaned	/liːnd/ /liːnd/
past participle leaned	/liːnd/ /liːnd/
(British English also) past simple leant	/lent/ /lent/
(British English also) past participle leant	/lent/ /lent/
-ing form leaning	/ˈliːnɪŋ/ /ˈliːnɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

jump to other results

[intransitive] lean (+ adv./prep.) to bend or move from a straight position to a sloping position
- I leaned back in my chair.
- She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear.
- He leaned over and kissed her.
- My wife leaned in to listen.
- A man was leaning out of the window.
- The tower is leaning dangerously.
Extra Examples
- The youth leaned down and lifted the child onto his shoulders.
- I leaned across the table for the cereal packet.
- She leaned casually over the railings.
- He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
- He leaned into the open doorway.
- He leaned towards her.
- She leaned forward eagerly to listen to him.
- She leaned precariously out of the window.
- She leaned to one side.
- She was leaning confidentially across the table.
- The taxi driver leaned through his window.
- Women and children leaned from the windows of the surrounding tenements.
- Their heads were forward, their bodies leaning, tilted into the strong wind.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- heavily
- lightly
- slightly
- …
preposition
- across
- against
- from
- …
adverb
- heavily
See full entry
[intransitive] to rest on or against something for support
- lean against something A shovel was leaning against the wall.
- lean on something The old man was leaning heavily on a stick.
Extra Examples
- Kate leaned comfortably against the wall.
- She walked slowly, leaning on her son's arm.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- heavily
- lightly
- slightly
- …
preposition
- across
- against
- from
- …
adverb
- heavily
See full entry
[transitive] to make something rest against something in a sloping position
- lean something against something Can I lean my bike against the wall?
- She leaned her head against his shoulder.
- lean something on something He leaned his elbows on the table and sighed.
- He sat down and leaned his chin on his right hand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- heavily
- lightly
- slightly
- …
preposition
- across
- against
- from
- …
adverb
- heavily
See full entry

Word Originverb Old English hleonian, hlinian, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch leunen and German lehnen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin inclinare and Greek klinein.

Idioms

bend/lean over backwards (to do something)

to make a great effort, especially in order to be helpful or fair
- I've bent over backwards to help him.

lean

adjective

/liːn/

(comparative leaner, superlative leanest)

jump to other results

(usually approving) (of people, especially men, or animals) without much fat; thin and fit
- He had a lean, muscular body.
- He was tall, lean and handsome.
- The Frenchman's body looked lean and hard.
Topics Appearancec2
(of meat) containing little or no fat
- a lean, tender piece of beef
Topics Cooking and eatingb2
[usually before noun] (of a period of time) difficult and not producing much money, food, etc.
- a lean period/spell
- The company recovered well after going through several lean years.
- This is the leanest time of the year for the tourist industry.
- Many animals have a lean time of it in winter.
Extra Examples
- They have a rather lean time through the winter months.
- These were very lean years for the company.
(of organizations, etc.) strong and efficient because they avoid waste in their processes and do not have more employees than is necessary
- The changes made the company leaner and more competitive.

Word Originadjective Old English hlǣne, of Germanic origin.