lean in
verb
leaned in; leaning in; leans in
: to persevere in spite of risk or difficulty
Then there's the racial justice crisis and making sure that we are leaning in during this time of recovery and crisis into the very important conversations around diversity and inclusion.—
Laura Fuentes, quoted in Washington (D.C.) Business Journal
Laura Fuentes, quoted in Washington (D.C.) Business JournalAttending college began as a time of "leaning in," because it took courage to attend a large campus without much parental support and no friends attending with me.—Sue Nokes
Sue NokesExamples of lean in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the organizations that lean in won’t just gain efficiency.
—Abakar Saidov, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Eloise held a can of Coca-Cola while Richards leaned in.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The entire Pavilion seemed lean in, hanging off her every note.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
Signs of hearing loss include struggling to follow conversations in loud environments or large group settings, frequently asking others to repeat themselves, leaning in toward the speaker, providing answers that are irrelevant to the conversation or seeming disengaged when listening.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean in
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Abakar Saidov, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Eloise held a can of Coca-Cola while Richards leaned in.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
The entire Pavilion seemed lean in, hanging off her every note.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
Signs of hearing loss include struggling to follow conversations in loud environments or large group settings, frequently asking others to repeat themselves, leaning in toward the speaker, providing answers that are irrelevant to the conversation or seeming disengaged when listening.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean in
Cite this Entry
“Lean in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean%20in. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share