lean on
verb
leaned on; leaning on; leans on
: to apply pressure to
They were leaning on the governor to pass the law.
Examples of lean on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the Trump administration has leaned on other countries to take them.
—
Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Through the first two games of this series, the New York Knicks primarily leaned on Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride when turning to their bench.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Nick’s best friend, Andrew, leans on the shier, nerdier side and is navigating puberty while dealing with his less-than-approving parents and approving-in-all-the-wrong-ways hormone monster, Maury.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 23 May 2025
Republicans are leaning on a process known as budget reconciliation to avoid the 60-vote threshold normally required to advance legislation in the Senate.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean on
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.
Rebecca Santana, Los Angeles Times, 27 May 2025
Through the first two games of this series, the New York Knicks primarily leaned on Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride when turning to their bench.
—Bobby Krivitsky, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Nick’s best friend, Andrew, leans on the shier, nerdier side and is navigating puberty while dealing with his less-than-approving parents and approving-in-all-the-wrong-ways hormone monster, Maury.
—Yasmeen Hamadeh, People.com, 23 May 2025
Republicans are leaning on a process known as budget reconciliation to avoid the 60-vote threshold normally required to advance legislation in the Senate.
—Lisa Hagen, Hartford Courant, 23 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean on
Cite this Entry
“Lean on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean%20on. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share