lean in

verb

leaned in; leaning in; leans in

intransitive verb

: 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

Attending 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

Examples of lean in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Invest where others pull back When others pull back, lean in, especially with your marketing. —Melissa Houston, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

At the end of the quick clip, Lopez leaned in for a kiss. —Kayla Grant, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025

Back then, inflation was below target, so the Fed could afford to lean in a dovish direction. —Fred Imbert, CNBC, 20 Mar. 2025

The intrigue: As some Democrats are pushing the party away from identity politics, Jackson is leaning in. —Justin Kaufmann, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2001, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lean in

• renin
• carrageenan
• catenin