lean in
verb
leaned in; leaning in; leans in
: to persevere in spite of risk or difficulty
Then there's the racial justice crisis and making sure that we are leaning in during this time of recovery and crisis into the very important conversations around diversity and inclusion.—
Laura Fuentes, quoted in Washington (D.C.) Business Journal
Laura Fuentes, quoted in Washington (D.C.) Business JournalAttending college began as a time of "leaning in," because it took courage to attend a large campus without much parental support and no friends attending with me.—Sue Nokes
Sue NokesExamples of lean in in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The work of making us as an audience lean in and care about her happens simply by seeing her as a person in those later episodes.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
Instead of pulling back, the anxious partner leans in harder, seeking closeness, sometimes even reinforcing the avoidant’s fears without meaning to.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The following month, the couple was photographed leaning in close and sharing a laugh during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Trump and Zelensky can be seen sitting opposite one another on two chairs in a marbled room, with the U.S. President leaning in to listen as the Ukrainian leader speaks.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean in
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.
Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Apr. 2025
Instead of pulling back, the anxious partner leans in harder, seeking closeness, sometimes even reinforcing the avoidant’s fears without meaning to.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The following month, the couple was photographed leaning in close and sharing a laugh during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey.
—Meredith Kile, People.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Trump and Zelensky can be seen sitting opposite one another on two chairs in a marbled room, with the U.S. President leaning in to listen as the Ukrainian leader speaks.
—Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lean in
Cite this Entry
“Lean in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lean%20in. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share