lean

[ 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.

Idioms for lean

lean over backward(s). bend¹(def 21).

Origin of lean

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

Words nearby lean

leakproof, leaky, leal, leamington, leamington spa, lean, lean and hungry look, lean on, lean over backwards, lean-burn, lean-faced

Definition for lean (2 of 3)

lean ²

[ leen ]

/ lin /

adjective, lean·er, lean·est.

(of persons or animals) without much flesh or fat; not plump or fat; thin: lean cattle.

(of edible meat) containing little or no fat.

lacking in richness, fullness, quantity, etc.; poor: a lean diet; lean years.

spare; economical: a lean prose style.

Automotive. (of a mixture in a fuel system) having a relatively low ratio of fuel to air (contrasted with rich).

(of paint) having more pigment than oil. Compare fat(def 12).

Nautical. (of a bow) having fine lines; sharp.

Metallurgy. (of ore) having a low mineral content; low-grade.

noun

the part of flesh that consists of muscle rather than fat.

the lean part of anything.

Typesetting. matter that is difficult to set because of complexity or intermixed fonts. Compare fat(def 23).

Origin of lean

before 1000; Middle English lene, Old English hlǣne

SYNONYMS FOR lean

1 skinny, lank, lanky. See thin.

3 sparse, barren, unfruitful, jejune.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR lean ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR lean

1, 2 fat.

3 fruitful.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR lean ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM lean

lean·ly, adverb lean·ness, noun

Definition for lean (3 of 3)

Lean

[ leen ]

/ lin /

noun

David,1908–91, British film director.

ABOUT THIS WORD

What else does lean mean?

Content warning: this article contains references to drug abuse.

In slang, lean is a term for prescription-strength cough syrup mixed with soft drinks and candy. It’s also known by such other names as purple drank or sizzurp.

Where does lean come from?

The term lean, and the practice of drinking it, originated in Houston, Texas, during the late 1980s and 1990s. It was first popularized by the influential producer DJ Screw, who frequently rhymed the words codeine and lean in his music, the resulting intoxication making him slump over (“lean back”). DJ Screw passed away from a codeine overdose in late 2000.

In the mid-2000s, mainstream hip-hop artists like Lil Wayne, Three 6 Mafia, and Gucci Mane helped popularize lean by rapping about the practice of mixing cough syrup and soda.

Lean is glamorized as a relaxing, even euphoria-inducing homemade beverage due to the effect of opiates present in prescription-strength cough syrup. The trend of sippin’ (on) lean has spawned countless hip-hop songs, mixtape titles, and entire album concepts.

How is lean used in real life?

Lean is known as a party beverage and has been described as part of hip-hop and youth culture. According to the lyric website Genius, lean was referenced in over 30% of all hip-hop songs that reached the Billboard Top 100 in 2017.

Rapper Lil Wayne has detailed his unhealthy relationship with lean in numerous songs, most notably in “I Feel Like Dying” from a 2007 mixtape. One music journalist described Wayne’s vivid description of codeine dependency as “torture cloaked in sheer bliss.”

Lean has been named as a cause of death for multiple prominent figures in hip-hop, including A$AP Yams, Pimp C, Big Moe, and several others.

More examples of lean:

“I sip codeine / It makes a southside player lean / Steady stackin green, steady sippin’ codeine
—DJ Screw, “Sippin Codeine” (song), 1996

“Don’t drink lean kids, don’t drink lean. I don’t think it should be a drug that’s glorified. It’s liquid heroin, it’s an opiate.”
—Danny Brown, TimWestWoodTv (YouTube), April 2014

Note

This content is not meant to be a formal definition of this term. Rather, it is an informal summary that seeks to provide supplemental information and context important to know or keep in mind about the term’s history, meaning, and usage.

Example sentences from the Web for lean

In 2012, as a 10th grader, Lean says he recorded his first legitimate song, “Hurt.”

The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ |Marlow Stern |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The trio formed the Sad Boys collective, with Sherm and Gud on production and Lean manning the mic.

The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ |Marlow Stern |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
“We broke off shortly after because we were more ambitious,” says Lean.

The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ |Marlow Stern |January 4, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Our squadron doctor was lean, well muscled, square jawed and blond.

I Shot Bin Laden |Elliot Ackerman |November 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Fully 88 percent of us either identify outright or lean to a party, 47 percent Democrat and 41 percent Republican.

Reality Check: There Are No Swing Voters |Goldie Taylor |November 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
"'Cause if I lean back against the cushion my feet won't touch the stool," she said.

Daisy's Work |Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe) Mathews
His dark, scowling face and lean body still bore a military air.

Police Your Planet |Lester del Rey
Naturally she was disposed to lean upon her grandfather, but he utterly failed her.

The Frontiersmen |Charles Egbert Craddock
Richard Wagner made a living, during four lean years, arranging Italian opera arias for the cornet.

Damn! |Henry Louis Mencken
Slightly to one side, the sleek line of a British cruiser was visible, and beyond it a trio of lean, wolfish destroyers.

The Caves of Fear |John Blaine

British Dictionary definitions for lean (1 of 3)

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 lean (2 of 3)

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

British Dictionary definitions for lean (3 of 3)

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)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

lean

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

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