lean

Universal Words verb, adjective, noun verb (leaned, leaned) (BrE also leant, leant ) 1 [V] [usually +adv./prep.] to bend or move from an upright position: I leaned back in my chair. * The tower is leaning dangerously. * A man was leaning out of the window. 2 [V] ~ against / on sth to rest on or against sth for support: A shovel was leaning against the wall. * She walked slowly, leaning on her son's arm. 3 [VN] ~ sth against / on sth to make sth rest against sth in a sloping position: Can I lean my bike against the wall? IDIOMS see BACKWARDS PHRASALVERBS lean on sb/sth 1 to depend on sb/sth for help and support: He leans heavily on his family. 2 to try to influence sb by threatening them: The government has been leaning on the TV company not to broadcast the show. lean to / towards / toward sth to have a tendency to prefer sth, especially a particular opinion or interest: The UK leant towards the US proposal. adjective (leaner, leanest) 1 (usually approving) (of people, especially men, or animals) without much flesh; thin and fit: a lean, muscular body * He was tall, lean and handsome. 2 (of meat) containing little or no fat: a lean, tender piece of beef 3 [usuallybeforenoun] (of a period of time) difficult and not producing much money, food, etc: a 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 reduced: The changes made the company leaner and more competitive. leanness noun [U]: The dark clothes emphasized the leanness of her body. noun [U] the part of meat that has little or no fat