v., leaned, lean·ing, leans. v.intr.
- To bend or slant away from the vertical.
- To incline the weight of the body so as to be supported: leaning against the railing. See synonyms at slant.
- To rely for assistance or support: Lean on me for help.
- To have a tendency or preference: a government that leans toward fascism.
- Informal. To exert pressure: The boss is leaning on us to meet the deadline.
- To set or place so as to be resting or supported.
- To cause to incline.
A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical.
[Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian.]
lean2 (lēn)
adj., lean·er, lean·est.
- Not fleshy or fat; thin.
- Containing little or no fat.
- Not productive or prosperous; meager: lean years.
- Containing little excess or waste; spare: a lean budget.
- Thrifty in management; economical: "Company leaders know their industries must be lean to survive" (Christian Science Monitor).
- Metallurgy. Low in mineral contents: lean ore.
- Chemistry. Lacking in combustible material: lean fuel.
Meat with little or no fat.
[Middle English lene, from Old English hlǣne.]
leanly lean'ly adv.leanness lean'ness n.
SYNONYMS lean, spare, skinny, scrawny, lank, lanky, rawboned, gaunt. These adjectives mean lacking excess flesh. Lean emphasizes absence of fat: fattened the lean cattle for market. Spare sometimes suggests trimness and good muscle tone: "an old man, very tall and spare, with an ascetic aspect" (William H. Mallock). Skinny and scrawny imply unattractive thinness, as with undernourishment: The child has skinny legs with prominent knees. "He (Winston Churchill). Lank describes one who is thin and tall, and lanky one who is thin, tall, and ungraceful: "He was . . . exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders" (Washington Irving). The boy had developed into a lanky adolescent. Rawboned suggests a thin, bony, gangling build: a rawboned cowhand. Gaunt implies boniness and a haggard appearance; it may suggest illness or hardship: a white-haired pioneer, her face gaunt from overwork.
