lean (on or against)

verb

Definition of lean (on or against)next
as in to bear (down)

Related Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for lean (on or against)
  1. compel
  2. force
  3. muscle
Verb
  • Ultimately, if the state steps in with loans, the district would be compelled to cede day-to-day management to an outside caretaker, reducing the district’s board and administration to bystanders.
    — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • For her sophomore film, de Araújo remains compelled to tell unnerving stories that are ripped from real-life events.
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of compel
Verb
  • The exact timetable for his recovery isn’t known; the injury will force him out of at least a portion of the regular season.
    — Nicki Jhabvala, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of force
Verb
  • Bleday should muscle up and match his career-high 20 home runs in a season with a homer tonight.
    — Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Flynn eventually received a diagnosis of viral myocarditis — inflammation of the heart muscle the myocardium that can reduce the organ’s ability to pump blood, according to the Mayo Clinic.
    — Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 26 July 2026
Definition of muscle
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.

Browse Nearby Words

leanness
lean (on or against)
leans
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Cite this Entry

“Lean (on or against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lean%20%28on%20or%20against%29. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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