lean

lean1 [ lin ] (past tense and past participle leaned [ lind ] ) verb ***

1. ) intransitive lean forward/back/toward/across etc. to move your body so it is closer to or farther from someone or something, for example by bending at the waist:

The other girl leaned forward to hear what was going on.

I leaned over her shoulder to study the maps spread out on the table.

Bigelow leaned across the desk and lowered his voice.

2. ) intransitive to stand or be set at an angle against something for support instead of being upright:

Two of the walls lean slightly inward.

lean against: Corey leaned against the apple tree.

lean on: He walked in, leaning heavily on a cane.

a ) transitive to put something at an angle against something for support, or be put against something in this way:

lean something against something: John leaned his rake against the side of the barn.

3. ) intransitive lean toward/to/in favor of to tend to choose or support something:

She is leaning toward supporting military action.

The board of directors is leaning in favor of supporting the merger.

lean in the direction of something: The decision to increase the budget hasn't been made, but the committee is leaning in that direction.

`lean on phrasal verb transitive

1. ) lean on someone to depend on someone:

Everybody needs someone to lean on in times of trouble.

2. ) lean on someone INFORMAL to put pressure on someone to make them do or say something:

The Prime Minister's been leaning pretty heavily on her to resign.

3. ) lean on something to press the horn of a car in a determined way:

The taxi driver was waiting out front, leaning on the horn.

lean

lean 2 [ lin ] adjective *

▸ 1 thin and looking fit

▸ 2 meat: with little fat

▸ 3 about business

▸ 4 about period of time

▸ 5 crop/harvest: very small

1. ) thin and looking physically fit and healthy:

He was lean and tanned.

2. ) lean meat has very little fat in it:

a lean cut of beef

3. ) a lean business spends as little money and employs as few workers as possible so that it will make a good profit

4. ) a lean period of time is very difficult to live in because many people lack money or other necessary things:

the lean years of the Depression

5. ) a lean crop, HARVEST, etc. is very small