LEANS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

leans 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of lean

as in tilts

to set or cause to be at an angle just lean the ladder against the tree and climb up it

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tends

to show a liking or proneness (for something) the family's diet leans toward greasy food

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as in relies

to place reliance or trust you can always lean on me if you need help

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leans

2 of 2

noun

plural of lean

as in inclines

the degree to which something rises up from a position level with the horizon the wall has enough of a lean that we can't set a bookcase against it

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of leans

Verb

At one point, a man is seen lying on top of an airboat as another man leans over him. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026 For men and older adults, the heart-health signal from the Nature cohort leans harder in this direction. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026 Instead, VisionQuest leans toward the magical fantasy of its other key starting point, 2021’s WandaVision. — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026 That man, Sana founder-CEO Joel Hellermark, leans back into his chair and smiles, throwing one leg over the other with the nonchalance of a man half Bhusri’s age. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026 The congressman whose newly redrawn California district leans Democratic, switched from Republican to independent while in Congress and continues to caucus with Republicans, reported Politico. — Maham Javaid, NPR, 13 Oct. 2026 The vibe leans more sultry at Lavantine, which has a Skybar with a great view of downtown. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026 Across the dozen tracks, Sivan leans heavily on ’90s touchstones, traipsing from glitch-hop to drum and bass, casting a wide net across sounds and scope. — Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026 The playoffs are proof of competence, good scouting and style of play that leans more on fundamentals than home runs. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Noun

The latest addition to the Sky Railway lineup is The Stargazer, a cosmic trip that leads travelers below New Mexico’s notoriously dark skies and leans into the landscape’s extraterrestrial mystery. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 24 Sep. 2026 This tonal take leans into a moodier palette of gray, purple, and blue, with fish motifs bringing a charming touch to the cool-toned look. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 3 Sep. 2026 The furniture and decor for your little one leans into that fleeting window of imagination, bringing color, whimsy, and playfulness to make their room feel unmistakably theirs. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 31 Aug. 2026 Framed as an ensemble drama rather than the story of a single heroic whistleblower, the production compresses Ibsen’s plot, reimagines the ending and leans into satire without sacrificing moral bite. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Pendleton’s travel-ready design leans into that ritual with a roll-up board printed in one of the heritage brand’s iconic patterns, reversible wooden pieces, and a vegan leather pouch for toting it around. — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 8 Aug. 2026 The cocktail menu leans into the couple’s heritage with some Argentine staples, including the El Clásico of Fernet and Coke and El Diego, concocted with sweet vermouth, Coke and a splash of whiskey. — Rick West, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026 In winter, the adults-only retreat leans into its cozy side, inviting guests to curl up by the fireplace, book a spa treatment, and embrace the slower pace of mountain life. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 20 July 2026 But this version of Zorro leans instead into broad comedy and an even broader vintage aesthetic including day-for-night shooting and a general soft-focus haze. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for leans

Verb

El Niño is not a storm that hits at a particular location, but rather a long duration phenomenon that tilts the odds in favor of extreme weather and climate events for certain areas.

— Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Capture every conversation, on every channel, video, phone and in person, because a curve built on a lopsided sample tilts every conclusion that follows.

— Devang Agrawal, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of tilts

Verb

Yet medicine tends to frame conditions affecting the brain across the lifespan, from autism and ADHD to Alzheimer’s disease, as primarily genetic or social in origin.

— Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026
Returning the sarcasm tends to cause the same problem, with two people annoyed instead of one.

— Angela Haupt, Time, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of tends

Noun

Lemmo With this kind of kit, the Lemmo 3 should be up to the task of tackling steep inclines and all manner of rough terrain.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026
Cows amble in the distance along the inclines of meadows; their grazing helps control invasive plants.

— Kalpana Mohan, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of inclines

Verb

The rest of the Cambria isn’t bad, either, including the shops and galleries along Main Street (which is deceptively long) and the piney slopes above.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
In rivers and streams in Virginia and Maryland, Hack measured the length of each stream and the area of the land that slopes toward that stream and therefore drains into it, called its basin or drainage area.

— Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of slopes

Verb

Social workers, nurses, therapists, and home health aides provide care that depends not simply on technical skill, but on empathy, dignity, and compassion.

— Scott Levenson, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
The answer depends entirely on the language contained in the condominium declaration and by-laws.

— Howard Dakoff, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of depends

Noun

And a lot of the time, people who have these kinds of inclinations towards children are people who were children who were abused themselves.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
The trustees feared that if something happened to him, his heir apparent, Robert Kahn, would replace him, and it was known that Kahn had Zionistic inclinations.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026