1lean1 (liːn
)
Definitions
verb
Word forms: leans, leaning, leaned, leant
- 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
- See lean over backwards
noun
- the condition of inclining from a vertical position
See also
lean onWord Origin
Old English hleonian, hlinian; related to Old High German hlinēn, Latin clīnāre to incline2lean2 (liːn)
Definitions
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
Alternative Forms
ˈleanly adverb ˈleanness nounWord Origin
Old English hlǣne, of Germanic originLean (liːn)
Definitions
noun
- Sir David. 1908–91, English film director. His films include Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include In Which We Serve (1942), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), Blithe Spirit (1945), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), Brief Encounter (1946), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), (1946), Great Expectations (1946), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), (1946), (1946), Oliver Twist (1948), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), (1946), (1946), (1948), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), (1946), (1946), (1948), (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), (1946), (1946), (1948), (1957), (1962), Dr Zhivago (1965), and Sir 1908–91, English film director. His films include (1942), (1945), (1946), (1946), (1948), (1957), (1962), (1965), and A Passage to India (1984)
Translations
- British English:
lean
When you lean in a particular direction, you bend your body in that direction.They stopped to lean over a gate.liːn VERB They stopped to lean over a gate.
- Spanish:
apoyarse
v
- French:
se pencher
vi
- German:
lehnen
v
- Chinese: 倾斜 v
- Arabic: يـَمِيلُ vi
- Portuguese: inclinar-se v
- Russian: опирать v
- Croatian: nasloniti v
- Czech: opřít (se) v opírat (se)
- Danish: læne (sig) v
- Dutch: leunen v
- Finnish: nojata v
- Greek: γέρνω v
- Italian: pendere v
- Japanese: もたれる v
- Korean: 기대다 v
- Norwegian: lene (seg) v
- Polish: oprzeć się v opierać się
- Brazilian Portuguese: inclinar-se v
- European Spanish:
apoyarse
v
- Swedish: luta (sig) v
- Thai: พิง v
- Turkish: yaslamak v
- Vietnamese: dựa v
Usage examples
He froze the frame, then amplified the image until the dean's lean , angular face filled the screen.
, Compulsion (1994)Similarly, if you ride a bicycle and lean over, the bicycle will turn, eventually going in a circle.
New Scientist (1998)Cruise has a kind, soft-spoken manner that forces you to lean in to hear his animated stories.
Globe and Mail (2003)THE lean times are over for the sprinter with the gangster lean.
Glasgow Herald (2002)The weeks after the gala was over were, therefore, a distinctly lean period.
, A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since 1945 (2003)