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Synonyms

lean on

British  

verb

  1. Also: lean upon.  to depend on for advice, support, etc

  2. informal to exert pressure on (someone), as by threats or intimidation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lean on Idioms  
  1. Rely on, depend on, as in He's leaning on me for help . [Mid-1400s]

  2. Exert pressure on one, especially to obtain something or make one do something against his or her will. For example, The gangsters were leaning on local storekeepers to pay them protection money . [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Until recently, the military has leaned on Claude over Grok because it is seen by many in the industry as a more reliable model, AI and security analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal

When contemplating the future of Bloom Ranch, Releford leans on the wisdom of the land.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet, these supposedly most-promising stars are mostly hapless wannabes leaning on their skills in nunchucks and mime.

From Los Angeles Times

But Tools for Humanity now plans to lean on partnerships with traditional brands like these to handle a large share of the marketing for World ID, said Trevor Traina, chief business officer at the company.

From The Wall Street Journal

I really rely and lean on the directors.

From Los Angeles Times