lean
verb/liːn/
/liːn/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| 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/ |
- [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.
- She 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.
- She leaned into the open doorway.
- He leaned towards her.
- She leaned forward eagerly to listen to him.
- He leaned precariously out of the window.
- She leaned to one side.
- He 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 Dictionaryadverb- heavily
- lightly
- slightly
- …
- across
- against
- from
- …
- heavily
- [intransitive] to rest on or against something for support
- lean against something A shovel was leaning against the wall.
- lean on something The man was leaning heavily on a stick.
Extra Examples- Kate leaned comfortably against the wall.
- He walked slowly, leaning on his daughter's arm.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- heavily
- lightly
- slightly
- …
- across
- against
- from
- …
- heavily
- [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.
- She sat down and leaned her chin on her right hand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- heavily
- lightly
- slightly
- …
- across
- against
- from
- …
- heavily
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
See lean in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee lean in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbend/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.
Check pronunciation:
lean