lean
part of speech
verb (lean, leans, leaned/leant, leaning); adjective (lean, leaner, leanest)
meaning for a pupil
1) To lean is to bend your body towards something or away from straight: «Lean forward». tree →
2) To lean on or against something is to rest your weight on it. tree →
3) To lean on someone is to depend on them for help. tree →
4) Lean (adjective) means thin and fit, or (of meat) having little fat. tree →
sense in the lessons
In safety, do not lean out of windows, over balconies, out of a bus, or over the edge of a cliff or boat. In science and building, a leaning tower (like Pisa) may topple if its centre of gravity goes too far. In health, lean meat has little fat. Phrases: «lean on» (rely on), «lean towards» (prefer), «lean back».
examples
- Don't lean out of the window. tree →
- Lean your bike against the wall. tree →
- She leaned forward to hear better. tree →
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans to one side. tree →
- You can always lean on your family for help. tree →
- Don't lean back on your chair. tree →
- Choose lean meat for a healthy meal. tree →
- The runner was tall and lean. tree →
- Lean your little head against us." tree →
note
Past: «leaned» (more American) or «leant» (British, said «lent»). Comparison: leaner, leanest. Do not confuse «lean» with «lend» or «lent».
In the corpora
- Gorillas and chimps walk on all fours leaning on their knuckles, while orangutans walk on their fists or the sides of their hands.
- She keeps leaning her very sharp chin on Alice's shoulder, which Alice bears politely, though she doesn't like it.
- A backpack that is too heavy makes you lean forward and can make your back and shoulders hurt.
- Walking uphill, people lean forward to keep their weight over their feet.
- Cyclists lean into a bend so they do not fall outwards.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «lean» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.