Lean example sentences
Related (12): incline, tilt, slope, rely, depend, slender, thin, sparse, efficient, minimal, support, recline
"Lean" Example Sentences
Common Phrases
- lean on someone
- lean toward
- lean into
- lean back
- lean against
- lean on someone for support
- lean times
- lean and mean
- lean in
- lean muscle
- lean on your own
- lean away from
Examples by Level
A1
- The tree will lean if the wind is very strong.
- I lean on my mother when I need help.
A2
- She tends to lean against the door when she's waiting for someone.
- Don't lean on that table — it's not very sturdy.
B1
- Looking back, I realize I used to lean too much on what other people thought of me.
- The company decided to lean into digital marketing instead of traditional advertising.
B2
- He had a tendency to lean on his charm to get out of difficult situations, which eventually caught up with him.
- The argument seemed to lean heavily on assumptions rather than concrete evidence, which made it unconvincing.
C1
- What we call progress often requires us to lean into discomfort and uncertainty in ways that feel deeply counterintuitive.
- The organization's decision to lean away from hierarchical structures reflected a broader cultural shift in how we think about leadership.
C2
- There's a particular kind of vulnerability that comes with learning to lean on others — not weakness, but a quiet acknowledgment that we cannot, in fact, do everything alone.
- The artist's work seemed to lean toward abstraction, yet retained enough figuration to keep the viewer perpetually suspended between recognition and mystery.
Examples by Scenario
🏠 Everyday Life
- I lean against the kitchen counter with my coffee, watching the rain and not thinking about anything in particular.
- My kid asked why trees lean toward the sun, and I realized I didn't actually know the answer.
💼 Workplace
- During the meeting, he started to lean on his usual excuse about the project timeline being unrealistic.
- I've learned not to lean too heavily on email — sometimes you just need to talk to someone face-to-face.
📊 Business
- The startup decided to lean into the premium market segment rather than compete on price.
- Our analysis shows that successful companies lean toward adaptability over rigid long-term planning.
🛒 Buying / Shopping
- I tend to lean toward organic produce, even though it costs more and spoils faster.
- When I'm shopping for clothes, I lean toward neutral colors because I'm indecisive about what actually looks good.
✈️ Travel
- I learned to lean on local recommendations instead of guidebooks when traveling — you find better places that way.
- The ship started to lean to one side during the storm, which made everyone nervous.
📚 Education
- The teacher encouraged students to lean on their own critical thinking rather than just memorizing facts.
- My daughter tends to lean toward science subjects, so we're looking at STEM programs for high school.
❤️ Relationships
- After he left, I had to lean on my sister in ways I never had before — and it actually brought us closer.
- She would lean her head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat, and for a moment everything felt okay.
📰 News / Politics
- The senator's campaign seemed to lean heavily on fear-based messaging, which turned off a lot of moderate voters.
- Political analysts noted that younger voters lean toward candidates who address climate change directly.
💻 Technology
- The new software update made the interface lean toward minimalism, which some users found confusing.
- Companies are starting to lean on AI for customer service, though the results are mixed.
📝 Formal Writing
- The research findings lean toward the conclusion that early intervention significantly improves long-term outcomes.
- Contemporary architectural design tends to lean away from ornamentation in favor of clean lines and functional efficiency.