lean
[verb]
Synonyms:
- rest, be supported, prop, recline, repose
- bend, heel, incline, slant, slope, tilt, tip
- tend, be disposed to, be prone to, favour, prefer
- lean on: depend on, count on, have faith in, rely on, trust
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[adjective]
Synonyms:
- slim, angular, bony, gaunt, rangy, skinny, slender, spare, thin, wiry
- unproductive, barren, meagre, poor, scanty, unfruitful

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Antonyms: fleshy
Contrasted words: brawny, burly, husky, muscular, sinewy, stalwart, stout, strong, sturdy, corpulent, fat, fatty, flabby, obese, plump, portly, rotund
Related Words: bend, curve, deflect, divert, sheer, turn, slender, slight, slim, spare-set, stringy, thin, cadaverous, haggard, pinched, wasted, worn, wizened

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English Thesaurus: thin, slim, slender, lean, skinny, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Lean, Sir David
(1908–91) a British film director who made many well-known films, such as Brief Encounter (1945), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Dr Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

I. lean¹ S3 /liːn/ verb (past tense and past participle leaned or leant /lent/ especially British English)
[Language: Old English; Origin: hleonian]

1. [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move or bend your body in a particular direction
lean forward/back/over etc
They were leaning forward, facing each other.
Lean back and enjoy the ride.
She leant towards him and listened.

2.
[intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to support yourself in a sloping position against a wall or other surface
lean against/on
He was leaning on the bridge, watching the boats go by.

3. [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition] to put something in a sloping position where it is supported, or to be in that position
lean (something) against/on something
A huge mirror was leaning against the wall.
He leant his bicycle against the fence.

4. [intransitive] to slope or bend from an upright position:
trees leaning in the wind
lean on somebody phrasal verb

1. to depend on someone for support and encouragement, especially at a difficult time:
The couple lean on each other for support.

2. informal to try to influence someone, especially by threatening them:
He won’t pay unless you lean on him.
lean towards something phrasal verb
to tend to support, or begin to support, a particular set of opinions, beliefs etc:
Canada, the UK and Japan leant towards the US view.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. lean² adjective
[Language: Old English; Origin: hlæne]

1. thin in a healthy and attractive way:
He was lean, tall, and muscular.

2. lean meat does not have much fat on it Antonym : fatty

3. a lean organization, company etc uses only as much money and as many people as it needs, so that nothing is wasted

4. a lean period is a very difficult time because there is not enough money, business etc:
His wife was a source of constant support during the lean years.
—leanness noun [uncountable]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

lean
verb
ADV. heavily | lightly | slightly | casually, easily, lazily, nonchalantly | eagerly | earnestly | confidentially, confidingly, conspiratorially | weakly, wearily | drunkenly | precariously | close, near He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
across, forward, down, out, over She leant forward eagerly to listen to him.
away, back, backwards He leaned back in his chair.
sideways
PREP. across She was leaning confidentially across the table.
against She leaned her head against his shoulder.
into He leaned into the open doorway.
on The old man was leaning heavily on a stick.
out of She leaned precariously out of the window.
over She leaned casually over the railings.
through The taxi driver leaned through his window.
towards He leaned towards her.
PHRASAL VERBS lean on sb/sth
ADV. heavily Britain leans heavily on Europe for trade.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

thin having little fat on your body:
a tall, thin man
slim thin in an attractive way:
her slim figure
a slim woman in her fifties
Magazines are always full of advice about how to stay slim.
slender written thin in an attractive and graceful way – used especially about parts of the body, and used especially about women:
her long, slender legs
She is slender, with very fair hair.
lean thin and looking healthy and fit:
his lean body
He was lean and looked like a runner.
skinny very thin in a way that is not attractive:
a skinny teenager
Your arms are so skinny!
slight written thin and delicate:
a small, slight girl with big eyes
scrawny /ˈskrɔːni $ ˈskrɒː-/ very thin, small, and weak-looking:
a scrawny kid in blue jeans
underweight below the usual weight for someone of your height, and therefore too thin:
He had no appetite and remained underweight.
gaunt /ɡɔːnt $ ɡɒːnt/ written very thin and pale, especially because of illness or continued worry:
He looked gaunt and had not shaved for days.
emaciated /ɪˈmeɪʃieɪtəd, ɪˈmeɪʃieɪtɪd, -si-/ written extremely thin and weak, because you are ill or not getting enough to eat:
The tents were filled with emaciated refugees.
skeletal written used about someone who is so thin that you can see the shape of their bones:
The soldiers were shocked by the skeletal figures of the camp’s prisoners.
anorexic used about someone who is extremely thin because they have a mental illness that makes them stop eating:
Her daughter is anorexic.
anorexic teenagers
paper-thin/wafer-thin extremely thin, like paper:
The walls of the apartment were paper-thin.
wafer-thin slices of pastry
The petals are paper-thin.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲