Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,781,476,690 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

Lean

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
Lean  (ln), Sir David 1908-1991.
British filmmaker. His works include The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962), both of which won Academy Awards.

lean 1  (ln)
v. leaned, lean·ing, leans
v.intr.
1. To bend or slant away from the vertical.
2. To incline the weight of the body so as to be supported: leaning against the railing. See Synonyms at slant.
3. To rely for assistance or support: Lean on me for help.
4. To have a tendency or preference: a government that leans toward fascism.
5. Informal To exert pressure: The boss is leaning on us to meet the deadline.
v.tr.
1. To set or place so as to be resting or supported.
2. To cause to incline.
n.
A tilt or an inclination away from the vertical.

[Middle English lenen, from Old English hleonian; see klei- in Indo-European roots.]

lean 2  (ln)
adj. lean·er, lean·est
1. Not fleshy or fat; thin.
2. Containing little or no fat.
3.
a. Not productive or prosperous; meager: lean years.
b. Containing little excess or waste; spare: a lean budget.
c. Thrifty in management; economical: "Company leaders know their industries must be lean to survive" (Christian Science Monitor).
4. Metallurgy Low in mineral contents: lean ore.
Chemistry Lacking in combustible material: lean fuel.
n.
Meat with little or no fat.

[Middle English lene, from Old English hlne.]

leanly adv.
leanness n.
Synonyms: lean2, spare, skinny, scrawny, lank, lanky, rawboned, gaunt
These adjectives mean lacking excess flesh. Lean emphasizes absence of fat: fattened the lean cattle for market.
Spare sometimes suggests trimness and good muscle tone: "an old man, very tall and spare, with an ascetic aspect" (William H. Mallock).
Skinny and scrawny imply unattractive thinness, as with undernourishment: The child has skinny legs with prominent knees. "He [had] a long, scrawny neck that rose out of a very low collar" (Winston Churchill).
Lank describes one who is thin and tall, and lanky one who is thin, tall, and ungraceful: "He was . . . exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders" (Washington Irving). The boy had developed into a lanky adolescent.
Rawboned suggests a thin, bony, gangling build: a rawboned cowhand.
Gaunt implies boniness and a haggard appearance; it may suggest illness or hardship: a white-haired pioneer, her face gaunt from overwork.

Lean [liːn]
n
(Biographies / Lean, Sir David (1908-1991) M, English, FILMS AND TV: director) 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)

lean1
vb leans, leaning ; leaned, leant
1. (foll by against, on, or upon) to rest or cause to rest against a support
2. to incline or cause to incline from a vertical position
3. (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
n
the condition of inclining from a vertical position See also lean on
[Old English hleonian, hlinian; related to Old High German hlinēn, Latin clīnāre to incline]

lean2
adj
1. (esp of a person or an animal) having no surplus flesh or bulk; not fat or plump
2. not bulky or full
3. (of meat) having little or no fat
4. not rich, abundant, or satisfying
5. (Engineering / Automotive Engineering) (of a mixture of fuel and air) containing insufficient fuel and too much air a lean mixture
6. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (of printer's type) having a thin appearance
7. (of a paint) containing relatively little oil
8. (Mining & Quarrying) (of an ore) not having a high mineral content
9. (Engineering / Civil Engineering) (of concrete) made with a small amount of cement
n
(Cookery) the part of meat that contains little or no fat
[Old English hlǣne, of Germanic origin]
leanly  adv
leanness  n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.Leanlean - the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the vertical; "the tower had a pronounced tilt"; "the ship developed a list to starboard"; "he walked with a heavy inclination to the right"
spatial relation, position - the spatial property of a place where or way in which something is situated; "the position of the hands on the clock"; "he specified the spatial relations of every piece of furniture on the stage"
Verb1.lean - to incline or bend from a vertical position; "She leaned over the banister"
bend, flex - form a curve; "The stick does not bend"
slope, incline, pitch - be at an angle; "The terrain sloped down"
weather - cause to slope
heel, list - tilt to one side; "The balloon heeled over"; "the wind made the vessel heel"; "The ship listed to starboard"
lean back, recline - move the upper body backwards and down
lean against, lean on, rest on - rest on for support; "you can lean on me if you get tired"
2.lean - cause to lean or incline; "He leaned his rifle against the wall"
lay, place, put, set, position, pose - put into a certain place or abstract location; "Put your things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children"; "Place emphasis on a certain point"
3.lean - have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined; "She tends to be nervous before her lectures"; "These dresses run small"; "He inclined to corpulence"
be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
take kindly to - be willing or inclined to accept; "He did not take kindly to my critical remarks"
suffer - be given to; "She suffers from a tendency to talk too much"
gravitate - move toward; "The conversation gravitated towards politics"
4.lean - rely on for support; "We can lean on this man"
rely, trust, swear, bank - have confidence or faith in; "We can trust in God"; "Rely on your friends"; "bank on your good education"; "I swear by my grandmother's recipes"
5.lean - cause to lean to the side; "Erosion listed the old tree"
move - move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion; "He moved his hand slightly to the right"
heel, list - tilt to one side; "The balloon heeled over"; "the wind made the vessel heel"; "The ship listed to starboard"
Adj.1.lean - lacking excess flesh; "you can't be too rich or too thin"; "Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look"-Shakespeare
ectomorphic - having a build with little fat or muscle but with long limbs
thin - of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section; "thin wire"; "a thin chiffon blouse"; "a thin book"; "a thin layer of paint"
2.lean - lacking in mineral content or combustible material; "lean ore"; "lean fuel"
rich - high in mineral content; having a high proportion of fuel to air; "a rich vein of copper", "a rich gas mixture"
3.lean - containing little excess; "a lean budget"; "a skimpy allowance"
insufficient, deficient - of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement; "insufficient funds"
4.lean - not profitable or prosperous; "a lean year"
unprofitable - producing little or no profit or gain; "deposits abandoned by mining companies as unprofitable"

lean1
verb
1. bend, tip, slope, incline, tilt, heel, slant He leaned forward to give her a kiss.
2. rest, prop, be supported, recline, repose She was feeling tired and was glad to lean against him.
3. tend, prefer, favour, incline, be prone to, gravitate, be disposed to, have a propensity to Politically, I lean towards the right.
lean on someone
1. depend on, trust, rely on, cling to, count on, confide in, have faith in She leaned on him to help her solve her problems.
2. (Informal) pressurize, intimidate, coerce, breathe down someone's neck, browbeat, twist someone's arm (informal), put the screws on (slang) Colin was being leaned on by his bankers.

lean2
adjective
1. thin, slim, slender, skinny, angular, trim, spare, gaunt, bony, lanky, wiry, emaciated, scrawny, svelte, lank, rangy, scraggy, macilent (rare) She watched the tall, lean figure step into the car.
thin fat, ample, plump, full, burly, obese, portly, brawny
Translations
lean1 [liːn]
A. ADJ (leaner (compar) (leanest (superl)))
1. (= slim) [person, body] → delgado, enjuto; [animal] → flaco
companies will need to be leaner in order to competelas compañías tendrán que racionalizarse para ser más competitivas
2. (= not prosperous) [times] → difícil; [harvest] → pobre
to have a lean time of itpasar por una mala racha
lean yearsaños mpl de vacas flacas
3. (= not fatty) [meat] → magro, sin grasa
4. (Aut) lean mixturemezcla f pobre
B. N (Culin) → magro m

lean2 [liːn] (leaned or leant (pt, pp))
A. VI
1. (= slope) → inclinarse, ladearse
to lean to(wards) the left/right (lit) → estar inclinado hacia la izquierda/derecha (fig) (Pol) → inclinarse hacia la izquierda/la derecha
to lean towards sb's opinioninclinarse por la opinión de algn
2. (for support) → apoyarse
to lean on/against sthapoyarse en/contra algo
to lean on sb (lit) → apoyarse en algn (fig) (= put pressure on) → presionar a algn
to lean on sb for support (fig) → contar con el apoyo de algn
B. VT to lean a ladder/a bicycle against a wallapoyar una escala/una bicicleta contra una pared
to lean one's head on sb's shoulderapoyar la cabeza en el hombro de algn
lean back VI + ADVreclinarse, recostarse
lean forward VI + ADVinclinarse hacia delante
lean out VI + ADVasomarse
to lean out of the windowasomarse a or por la ventana
lean over
A. VI + ADVinclinarse
to lean over backwards to help sbvolcarse or desvivirse por ayudar a algn
we've leaned over backwards to get agreementhemos hecho todo lo posible or nos hemos volcado para llegar a un acuerdo
B. VI + PREPinclinarse sobre

lean [ˈliːn]
vb [leaned or leant] (pt, pp)
vi
(= rest) to lean against sth [person] → s'appuyer contre qch
He leant his back against the wall → Il appuya son dos contre le mur., Il s'adossa au mur.
to be leaning against sth [ladder, object] → être appuyé(e) contre qch
The ladder was leaning against the wall → L'échelle était appuyée contre le mur.
(= be on a slope, be askew) [building, structure] → pencher
to lean to one side [building] → pencher d'un côté
(= move) [person] → se pencher
to lean closer → se pencher plus près
to lean closer to sb → se pencher vers qn
vt
to lean sth against sth → appuyer qch contre qch
He leant his bike against the wall → Il appuya son vélo contre le mur.
adj
[person] → mince
[meat] → maigre
I only eat lean meat → Je ne mange que de la viande maigre.
(fig) [period, time, year] → de vaches maigres
It is a lean time for the oil business → C'est une période de vaches maigres pour l'industrie pétrolière.
n [meat] → maigre m
lean across
vi [person] → se pencher sur le côté
She leaned across and opened the passenger door → Elle se pencha sur le côté et ouvrit la portière du passager.
lean back
vi [person] → se pencher en arrière
lean forward
vi [person] → se pencher en avant
lean on
vt fus
[person] [+ wall, windowsill] → s'appuyer contre
He leant on the wall → Il s'est appuyé contre le mur.
to lean on one's stick → s'appuyer sur sa canne
(= depend on) [+ person] → reposer sur
(= put pressure on) [+ person] → mettre la pression sur
He was being leaned on by his bankers → Ses banquiers lui mettaient la pression.
vt sep
to lean one's head on sb's shoulder → poser la tête sur l'épaule de qn
to lean one's elbows on the table → mettre ses coudes sur la table
lean out
vi [person] → se pencher au dehors
to lean out of sth → se pencher par qch
She leant out of the window → Elle s'est penchée par la fenêtre.
lean over
vi [person] → se pencher
Don't lean over too far → Ne te penche pas trop.
lean towards
vt fus [+ opinion, viewpoint] → pencher pour
to lean towards the right (politically)être plutôt à droite

lean1
adj (+er)
(= thin)mager, dünn; face, personschmal; (through lack of food) → hager; (= fatless) meatmager; to grow leanschlank or schmal werden; to have a lean buildschlank gebaut sein
(= poor) year, times, harvestmager; to go through a lean patcheine Durststrecke durchlaufen
(Comm) → schlank; leaner companiesverschlankte Firmen pl

lean2 vb: pret, ptp <leant (esp Brit) or leaned>
nNeigung f
vt
(= put in sloping position)lehnen (→ against gegen, an +acc); to lean one’s head on somebody’s shoulderseinen Kopf an jds Schulter (acc)lehnen
(= rest)aufstützen (→ on auf +dat or acc); to lean one’s elbow on somethingsich mit dem Ellbogen auf etw (acc)stützen; she leaned her weight on the doorsie lehnte sich mit ihrem Gewicht gegen die Tür
vi
(= be off vertical)sich neigen (to nach); (trees)sich biegen; the box was leaning dangerously to the sidedie Kiste neigte sich gefährlich auf die Seite; he leaned across the counterer beugte sich über den Ladentisch; a motorcyclist should lean into the cornerein Motorradfahrer sollte sich in die Kurve legen
(= rest)sich lehnen; to lean against somethingsich gegen etw lehnen; leaning against the baran die Bar gelehnt; she leaned on my armsie stützte sich auf meinen Arm; he leaned on the edge of the tableer stützte sich auf die Tischkante; to lean on one’s elbowsich mit dem Ellbogen aufstützen
(= tend in opinion etc) to lean toward(s) the left/socialismnach links/zum Sozialismus tendieren; to lean toward(s) somebody’s opinionzu jds Ansicht neigen or tendieren; which way does he lean?in welche Richtung tendiert er?; he started to lean away from the party lineer entfernte sich allmählich von der Parteilinie; at least they’re leaning in the direction of reformsie neigen immerhin Reformen (dat)zu

lean1 [liːn]
1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) → magro/a
the lean years → i tempi di magra
2. n (of meat) → magro, parte f magra (della carne)

lean1 [liːn]
1. adj (-er (comp) (-est (superl))) → magro/a
the lean years → i tempi di magra
2. n (of meat) → magro, parte f magra (della carne)

lean2 [liːn] (leaned or leant (pt, pp))
1. vi
a. (gatepost, wall, slope) → essere inclinato/a, pendere
to lean to(wards) the left/right (Pol) → avere tendenze di sinistra/di destra
b. (for support, person) to lean on, lean againstappoggiarsi a
to be leaning against (ladder) → essere appoggiato/a a or contro
to lean on sb (also) (fig) (for support) → appoggiarsi a qn (fig) (put pressure on) → far pressione su qn
2. vt (ladder, bicycle) to lean sth against/on sthappoggiare qc a or contro/su qc
to lean one's head on sth → appoggiare la testa su qc
lean back vi + advsporgersi indietro; (against sth) → appoggiarsi all'indietro
she leaned back against the pillows → si è adagiata sui cuscini
lean forward vi + advpiegarsi in avanti
lean out vi + adv to lean out (of)sporgersi (da)
lean over
1. vi + adv (person) → chinarsi; (thing) → piegarsi, inclinarsi
to lean over backwards to help sb (fig) (fam) → farsi in quattro per aiutare qn
2. vi + prep (balcony, gate) → sporgersi da, affacciarsi a; (desk) → piegarsi su, chinarsi su

lean2 [liːn] (leaned or leant (pt, pp))
1. vi
a. (gatepost, wall, slope) → essere inclinato/a, pendere
to lean to(wards) the left/right (Pol) → avere tendenze di sinistra/di destra
b. (for support, person) to lean on, lean againstappoggiarsi a
to be leaning against (ladder) → essere appoggiato/a a or contro
to lean on sb (also) (fig) (for support) → appoggiarsi a qn (fig) (put pressure on) → far pressione su qn
2. vt (ladder, bicycle) to lean sth against/on sthappoggiare qc a or contro/su qc
to lean one's head on sth → appoggiare la testa su qc
lean back vi + advsporgersi indietro; (against sth) → appoggiarsi all'indietro
she leaned back against the pillows → si è adagiata sui cuscini
lean forward vi + advpiegarsi in avanti
lean out vi + adv to lean out (of)sporgersi (da)
lean over
1. vi + adv (person) → chinarsi; (thing) → piegarsi, inclinarsi
to lean over backwards to help sb (fig) (fam) → farsi in quattro per aiutare qn
2. vi + prep (balcony, gate) → sporgersi da, affacciarsi a; (desk) → piegarsi su, chinarsi su

lean1
v lean [liːn]
1 to slope over to one side; not to be upright The lamp-post had slipped and was leaning across the road. oorhel يَميل накланям се naklánět se hælde sich neigen γέρνω inclinarse kaldu olema خم شدن یا کردن olla kallellaan pencher לִנטוֹת झुकना naginjati se hajlik condong halla pendere 傾く (어떤 방향으로) 기울이다 palinkti, pasilenkti []liekties senget overhellen helle, stå skrått chylić/pochylać się inclinar-se a (se) apleca наклоняться nakláňať sa nagniti se saviti se luta เอียง eğilmek, yatmak 傾斜 нахилятися ایک طرف جھکنا cúi
2 to rest (against, on) She leaned the ladder against the wall; Don't lean your elbows on the table; He leant on the gate. rus يَسْتَنِد إلى، يَسْتَريح обялгам се opřít (se) læne lehnen ακουμπώ, στηρίζω κτ., στηρίζομαι apoyarse en/contra nõjatuma, toetama, toetuma تکیه دادن؛ لم دادن nojata (s')appuyer (à/contre/sur) לְהִישָׁעֵן सहारे टिकना osloniti se (neki)támaszt menyandarkan halla (sér) appoggiare, appoggiarsi もたれる (…에) 기대다 remtis, at(si)remti atbalstīt; piesliet; atbalstīties; pieslieties menyandarkan leunen stille, lene/støtte (seg) mot opierać (się) encostar(-se) a (se) sprijini (pe/de) опираться oprieť (sa), opierať sa nasloniti (se) nasloniti luta [] พิง dayanmak, yaslanmak притуляти(ся), спирати(ся) اڑانا tựa
n leaning
a liking or preference She has a leaning towards the arts. neiging مَيْل، نَزْعَه предпочитание sklon sympati; interesse die Neigung κλίση, προτίμηση inclinación kalduvus گرایش؛ میل taipumus penchant (pour) לִנטוֹת झुकाव naklonost, sklonost hajlam kecondongan tilhneiging inclinazione 好み 경향, 성향 palinkimas, polinkis tieksme; nosliece kecenderungan neiging tilbøyelighet, sympati (for) skłonność inclinação înclinaţie склонность sklon nagnjenje sklonost böjelse, intresse ความชอบ eğilim, meyil 傾向, 愛好 нахил, схильність رجحان thiên hướng

lean2
adj lean [liːn]
1 thin; not fat a tall, lean man. skraal نَحيف слаб hubený slank; mager mager αδύνατος delgado, flaco kõhn لاغر؛ نحیف laiha maigre רָזֶה दुबला mršav, vitak sovány kurus grannur, mjósleginn magro やせた 여윈 liesas kalsns; izdilis kurus mager mager chudy magro uscăţiv тощий chudý vitek vitak mager ผอม zayıf 瘦的 худий دبلا پتلا gầy
2 not containing much fat lean meat. maer غَيْر دُهني، بلا شَحْم без мазнини libový mager mager άπαχος magro lahja کم چربی rasvaton maigre כָּחוּש कम mršav, krt sovány tak berlemak magur magro 脂肪の少い 살코기인 liesas (par gaļu) liess; (par ēdienu) bez aizdara tanpa lemak mager mager chudy magro fără grăsime нежирный, постный chudý pust krt mager มีไขมันน้อย yağsız 精瘦的 пісний کم چربی دار nạc
3 poor; not producing much a lean harvest. skraps ضئيل المَحصول слаб hubený mager mager φτωχός, που δεν παράγει πολλά malo, escaso, pobre kesine کم حاصل niukka maigre דַל मज्जाहीन slab, siromašan silány sedikit rÿr, lélegur magro, povero 貧弱な 빈약한 menkas (par ražu u.tml.) nabadzīgs sedikit schraal mager, dårlig, skrinn kiepski fraco sărac скудный slabý boren mršav mager ไม่อุดมสมบูรณ์ ürünsüz; az 貧乏的,歉收的 убогий; поганий قلیل mất mùa
n leanness
onvrugbaarheid نحافَه، ضَئالَه، نحالَه слабост hubenost slankhed die Magerkeit αδυναμία delgadez kõhnus لاغری؛ کم حاصلی laihuus maigreur רָזוֹן दुर्बलता mršavost soványság kekurusan megurð magrezza やせていること 여윔, 지방[]이 적음 liesumas kalsnums; nabadzīgums sedikit magerte magerhet chudość magreza înfăţişare costelivă худоба; скудость chudosť mršavost krtina magerhet, torftighet ความไม่อุดมสมบูรณ์ zayıflık; yağsızlık 貧乏,缺乏 худорба دبلاپن، قلّت

Lean يَتَكئ opřít (se) læne (sig) lehnen γέρνω apoyarse nojata se pencher nasloniti pendere もたれる 기대다 leunen lene (seg) oprzeć się inclinar-se опирать luta (sig) พิง yaslamak dựa 倾斜


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"They are a merry couple," said the Tinker, "for one is as lean as an old wife's spindle, and the other as fat as a suet pudding.
Then, approaching at right angles to the trail and cutting off his retreat they saw a dozen wolves, lean and grey, bounding across the snow.
And as she blows, and shading it with her lean hand, concentrates its red spark of light, it serves in the dim morning as a lamp to show him what he sees of her.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.