leaning

[ lee-ning ]

/ ˈli nɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR leaning ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

inclination; tendency: strong literary leanings.

Origin of leaning

before 1000; Middle English leninge, Old English hlining. See lean¹, -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR leaning

bent, propensity, proclivity, bias, penchant.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR leaning ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby leaning

lean-faced, lean-to, leander, leaner, leangle, leaning, leaning tower of pisa, leaning tower of pisa, the, leant, leap, leap day

Definition for leaning (2 of 2)

lean ¹

[ leen ]

/ lin /

verb (used without object), leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

to incline or bend from a vertical position: She leaned out the window.

to incline, as in a particular direction; slant: The post leans to the left. The building leaned sharply before renovation.

to incline in feeling, opinion, action, etc.: to lean toward socialism.

to rest against or on something for support: to lean against a wall.

to depend or rely (usually followed by on or upon): someone he could lean on in an emergency.

verb (used with object), leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

to incline or bend: He leaned his head forward.

to cause to lean or rest; prop: to lean a chair against the railing.

noun

the act or state of leaning; inclination: The tower has a pronounced lean.

Verb Phrases

lean in,

to shift one's body weight forward or toward someone or something: He stood near home plate and leaned in for the pitch.
to embrace risk, be assertive, etc., as to achieve the greatest level of success in the workplace: She really knows how to lean in—she'll have a corner office before long.

lean on, Informal.

to exert influence or pressure on in order to gain cooperation, maintain discipline, or the like: The state is leaning on the company to clean up its industrial wastes.
to criticize, reprimand, or punish: I would have enjoyed school more if the teachers hadn't leaned on me so much.

Origin of lean

before 900; Middle English lenen, Old English hleonian, hlinian; cognate with G. lehnen; akin to Latin clīnāre to incline, Greek klī́nein

Example sentences from the Web for leaning

Fortunately, another group is leaning in: Turkish women business leaders.

The Women Battling an Islamist Strongman |Christina Asquith |December 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Biden remembered the boy was in a physically vulnerable position: “leaning down on one of those slanted counters.”

Joe Biden: ‘I’ll Kill Your Son’ |Olivia Nuzzi |December 12, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Outside observers like Cook Political Report view the district as “leaning Democrat.”

The GOP’s Great Gay Hope Hits Trouble |Ben Jacobs |October 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Viewed in profile, they are upside-down mid-section silhouettes of Pippa Middleton leaning over to check your oil.

Up to a Point: A 'Space Corvette' in Every Garage |P. J. O’Rourke |September 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

There has been a lot of talk about leaning forward and backward.

Whither the Women’s Movement? |Judith Barnett |July 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A man was leaning against the wall, yawning, at an evening party.

Nell, of Shorne Mills |Charles Garvice
"If it is not bad, it is foolish," said Darius, resting his chin upon his hand and leaning forward.

Marzio's Crucifix and Zoroaster |F. Marion Crawford
He then went up to Rockley, snuff-box in hand, and addressed him as he was leaning against the chimney-piece.

The Master of the Ceremonies |George Manville Fenn
The little one staggers under it, leaning far forward to lessen the direct traction over her forehead.

The Child in the Midst |Mary Schauffler Labaree
"Perfectly suah," she answered with a laugh, then leaning back in the chimney corner again, opened the third letter.

The Little Colonel's Knight Comes Riding |Annie Fellows Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (1 of 4)

leaning

/ (ˈliːnɪŋ) /

noun

a tendency or inclination

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (2 of 4)

Lean

/ (liːn) /

noun

Sir David. 1908–91, English film director. His films include In Which We Serve (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945), Brief Encounter (1946), Great Expectations (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Dr Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984)

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (3 of 4)

lean ¹

/ (liːn) /

verb leans, leaning, leaned or leant

(foll by against, on, or upon) to rest or cause to rest against a support

to incline or cause to incline from a vertical position

(intr; foll by to or towards) to have or express a tendency or leaning

lean over backwards informal to make a special effort, esp in order to please

noun

the condition of inclining from a vertical position

Word Origin for lean

Old English hleonian, hlinian; related to Old High German hlinēn, Latin clīnāre to incline

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (4 of 4)

lean ²

/ (liːn) /

adjective

(esp of a person or an animal) having no surplus flesh or bulk; not fat or plump

not bulky or full

(of meat) having little or no fat

not rich, abundant, or satisfying

(of a mixture of fuel and air) containing insufficient fuel and too much air a lean mixture

(of printer's type) having a thin appearance

(of a paint) containing relatively little oil

(of an ore) not having a high mineral content

(of concrete) made with a small amount of cement

noun

the part of meat that contains little or no fat

Derived forms of lean

leanly, adverb leanness, noun

Word Origin for lean

Old English hlǣne, of Germanic origin

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

leaning

noun

Origin of leaning

SYNONYMS FOR leaning

Words nearby leaning

Definition for leaning (2 of 2)

verb (used without object), leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

verb (used with object), leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of lean

Example sentences from the Web for leaning

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (1 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (2 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (3 of 4)

verb leans, leaning, leaned or leant

noun

Word Origin for lean

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (4 of 4)

adjective

noun

Derived forms of lean

Word Origin for lean

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

leaning

noun

Origin of leaning

SYNONYMS FOR leaning

Words nearby leaning

Definition for leaning (2 of 2)

verb (used without object), leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

verb (used with object), leaned or (especially British) leant; lean·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of lean

Words related to leaning

Example sentences from the Web for leaning

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (1 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (2 of 4)

noun

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (3 of 4)

verb leans, leaning, leaned or leant

noun

Word Origin for lean

British Dictionary definitions for leaning (4 of 4)

adjective

noun

Derived forms of lean

Word Origin for lean