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lean

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leanverb, adjective, nounBrE /liːn/NAmE /liːn/ verb verb forms word origin thesaurus example bank(leaned, leaned)(BrE also leant, leant /BrE lent; NAmE lent/)1 [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to bend or move from a vertical positionI leaned back in my chair. The tower is leaning dangerously. A man was leaning out of the window. 2 [intransitive] to rest on or against sth for support~ against sthA shovel was leaning against the wall.~ on sth She walked slowly, leaning on her son's arm. 3 [transitive] ~ sth against/on sth to make sth rest against sth in a sloping positionCan I lean my bike against the wall?  see bend/lean over backwards at backwardsˈlean on sb/sth1 to depend on sb/sth for help and support  rely on He leans heavily on his family.2 to try to influence sb by threatening themThe government has been leaning on the TV company not to broadcast the show.ˈlean to/towards/toward sthto have a tendency to prefer sth, especially a particular opinion or interestThe UK leant towards the US proposal.adjective word origin example bank(lean•er, lean•est)1 (usually approving) (of people, especially men, or animals) without much flesh; thin and fita lean, muscular body He was tall, lean and handsome.2 (of meat) containing little or no fata lean, tender piece of beef3 [usually before noun] (of a period of time) difficult and not producing much money, food, etca 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.4 (of organizations, etc.) strong and efficient because the number of employees has been reducedThe changes made the company leaner and more competitive.  lean•ness/BrE ˈliːnnəs; NAmE ˈliːnnəs/ noun [uncountable]The dark clothes emphasized the leanness of her body.noun word origin[uncountable]the part of meat that has little or no fat

Sth Lean Leaning Noun Word Origin Company Liːn