adj · name · noun · verb · 27 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈliːn/
[ˈlɪi̯n] ~ [ˈlɪ̈i̯n]
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːn
homophone: lien
CMU ARPABET:L IY1 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Slim; not fleshy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Having a low proportion or concentration of a desired substance or ingredient.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
A lean ore hardly worth mining.
Running on too lean a fuel-air mixture will cause, among other problems, your internal combustion engine to heat up too much.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: deficient, dilute, poor
Antonyms: rich
5
adj
Meaning 5
Of a character which prevents the compositor from earning the usual wages; opposed to fat.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic
Topics: media, printing, publishing
Examples
lean copy, matter, or type
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
adj
Meaning 6
Efficient, economic, frugal, agile, slimmed-down; pertaining to the modern industrial principles of "lean manufacturing".
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business
Examples
lean management
lean manufacturing
Alcoa is now a lean and agile enterprise, after having split last year into two entities.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
name
Meaning 7
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
noun
Meaning 8
An inclination away from the vertical.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
The trees had various leans toward gaps in the canopy.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
Meat with no fat on it.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
noun
Meaning 10
An organism that is lean in stature.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
noun
Meaning 11
A recreational drug composed of codeine-promethazine cough syrup mixed with usually soda and associated with the hip-hop culture of the Southern United States.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: US, slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
She tends to be nervous before her lectures
These dresses run small
He inclined to corpulence
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: tend, be given, incline, run
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: be
Narrower terms: take kindly to, suffer, gravitate
History
Etymology
From Middle English lene (“lean”), from Old English hlǣne (“lean”), (cognate with Low German leen), perhaps from hlǣnan (“to cause to lean (due to hunger or lack of food)”), from Proto-Germanic *hlainijaną (“to cause to lean”). If so, then related to Old English hlinian, hleonian (“to lean”). Compare Old Norse linr (“mild; soft, limp; weak”), Old High German len (“mild”).
* As a Scottish Gaelic surname, reduced form of McLean. * As an English surname, from the adjective lean. * As a Chinese surname, from 林 (lín) (see Lin).
From Middle English lenen (“to lean”), from Old English hleonian, hlinian (“to lean, recline, lie down, rest”), from Proto-West Germanic *hlinēn, from Proto-Germanic *hlināną (“to lean, incline”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱley-. Cognate via Proto-Germanic with Middle Dutch leunen (“to lean”), German lehnen (“to lean”); via Proto-Indo-European with climate, cline.
Probably from the verb to lean (see Etymology 1 above), supposedly because consumption of the intoxicating beverage causes one to lean or sway. Alternatively, from a clipping of gasoline (“an alcoholic beverage made of vodka and energy drink”).
Across languages
Translations
281 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
نحيف
(naḥīf)
— being slim, not fleshy
Bashkir:
ябыҡ
(yabıq)
— being slim, not fleshy
Bhojpuri:
छरहरा
(charahərā)
— being slim, not fleshy
Bhojpuri:
ढुबला
(ḍhubəlā)
— being slim, not fleshy
Bulgarian:
слаб
(slab)
— being slim, not fleshy
Bulgarian:
мършав
(mǎršav)
— being slim, not fleshy
Catalan:
magre
— being slim, not fleshy
Cherokee:
ᎤᎴᏐᏓ
(ulesoda)
— being slim, not fleshy
Chinese Mandarin:
瘦
(shòu)
— being slim, not fleshy
Chinese Mandarin:
精瘦
(jīngshòu)
— being slim, not fleshy
Dutch:
mager
— being slim, not fleshy
Dutch:
slank
— being slim, not fleshy
Dutch:
tenger
— being slim, not fleshy
Finnish:
laiha
— being slim, not fleshy
Finnish:
hoikka
— being slim, not fleshy
French:
mince
— being slim, not fleshy
Galician:
delgado
— being slim, not fleshy
Galician:
delgada
— being slim, not fleshy
Galician:
magro
— being slim, not fleshy
Galician:
magra
— being slim, not fleshy
German:
mager
— being slim, not fleshy
German:
dürr
— being slim, not fleshy
German:
schlank
— being slim, not fleshy
Ancient Greek:
ἰσχνός
(iskhnós)
— being slim, not fleshy
Hindi:
छरहरा
(charahrā)
— being slim, not fleshy
Hindi:
ढुबला
(ḍhublā)
— being slim, not fleshy
Italian:
magro
— being slim, not fleshy
Italian:
asciutto
— being slim, not fleshy
Italian:
slanciato
— being slim, not fleshy
Italian:
sodo
— being slim, not fleshy
Kabuverdianu:
magru
— being slim, not fleshy
Kabuverdianu:
mógre
— being slim, not fleshy
Latgalian:
koldons
— being slim, not fleshy
Latgalian:
kūds
— being slim, not fleshy
Latin:
macer
— being slim, not fleshy
Latvian:
kalsns
— being slim, not fleshy
Māori:
kōhoi
— being slim, not fleshy
Māori:
hīroki
— being slim, not fleshy
Māori:
whīroki
— being slim, not fleshy
Māori:
hīoi
— being slim, not fleshy
Māori:
hōkaka
— being slim, not fleshy
Māori:
pākokekoke
— being slim, not fleshy
Norwegian:
slank
— being slim, not fleshy
Occitan:
linge
— being slim, not fleshy
Occitan:
prim
— being slim, not fleshy
Plautdietsch:
denn
— being slim, not fleshy
Portuguese:
esbelto
— being slim, not fleshy
Romanian:
subțire
— being slim, not fleshy
Romanian:
slab
— being slim, not fleshy
Russian:
худо́й
(xudój)
— being slim, not fleshy
Russian:
то́щий
(tóščij)
— being slim, not fleshy
Russian:
поджа́рый
(podžáryj)
— being slim, not fleshy
Russian:
сухоща́вый
(suxoščávyj)
— being slim, not fleshy
Spanish:
magro
— being slim, not fleshy
Spanish:
momio
— being slim, not fleshy
Swedish:
mager
— being slim, not fleshy
Swedish:
smal
— being slim, not fleshy
Tamil:
ஒல்லி
(olli)
— being slim, not fleshy
Turkish:
ince
— being slim, not fleshy
Turkish:
zayıf
— being slim, not fleshy
Ukrainian:
худи́й
(xudýj)
— being slim, not fleshy
Uyghur:
ئەتسىز
(etsiz)
— being slim, not fleshy
Uyghur:
گۆشسىز
(göshsiz)
— being slim, not fleshy
Uzbek:
ozg'in
— being slim, not fleshy
Walloon:
maigue
— being slim, not fleshy
Zazaki:
barı (diq)
— being slim, not fleshy
Zazaki:
bari (diq)
— being slim, not fleshy
Zazaki:
qor sg or
— being slim, not fleshy
Bashkir:
һум
(hum)
— of meat, having little fat
Bashkir:
ябыҡ
(yabıq)
— of meat, having little fat
Bulgarian:
крехък
(krehǎk)
— of meat, having little fat
Catalan:
magre
— of meat, having little fat
Cornish:
kogh
— of meat, having little fat
Dutch:
mager
— of meat, having little fat
Finnish:
vähärasvainen
— of meat, having little fat
French:
maigre
— of meat, having little fat
Galician:
magro
— of meat, having little fat
German:
mager
— of meat, having little fat
Italian:
magro
— of meat, having little fat
Latgalian:
poss
— of meat, having little fat
Latin:
macer
— of meat, having little fat
Latvian:
liess
— of meat, having little fat
Māori:
tipiwai
— of meat, having little fat
Māori:
hinuiti
— of meat, having little fat
Māori:
tūpuhi
— of meat, having little fat
Norwegian:
mager
— of meat, having little fat
Occitan:
magre
— of meat, having little fat
Portuguese:
magro
— of meat, having little fat
Romanian:
slab macru
— of meat, having little fat
Russian:
по́стный
(póstnyj)
— of meat, having little fat
Spanish:
magro
— of meat, having little fat
Spanish:
momio
— of meat, having little fat
Swedish:
mager
— of meat, having little fat
Turkish:
az yağlı
— of meat, having little fat
Turkish:
yağsız
— of meat, having little fat
Walloon:
maigue
— of meat, having little fat
Zazaki:
bêruwen
— of meat, having little fat
Catalan:
magre
— having little extra or little to spare
Dutch:
karig
— having little extra or little to spare
Finnish:
niukka
— having little extra or little to spare
Finnish:
vähäinen
— having little extra or little to spare
French:
serré
— having little extra or little to spare
German:
knapp
— having little extra or little to spare
Italian:
magro
— having little extra or little to spare
Italian:
scarso
— having little extra or little to spare
Occitan:
magre
— having little extra or little to spare
Occitan:
estrech
— having little extra or little to spare
Russian:
бе́дный
(bédnyj)
— having little extra or little to spare
Russian:
ску́дный
(skúdnyj)
— having little extra or little to spare
Russian:
скро́мный
(skrómnyj)
— having little extra or little to spare
Spanish:
estrecho
— having little extra or little to spare
Spanish:
ajustado
— having little extra or little to spare
Turkish:
kıt
— having little extra or little to spare
Uzbek:
kambag'al
— having little extra or little to spare
Zazaki:
tayn
— having little extra or little to spare
Bulgarian:
беден
(beden)
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Finnish:
laiha
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Finnish:
laimea
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Finnish:
heikko
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
French:
pauvre
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
German:
mager
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Italian:
magra
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Italian:
ricca
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Norwegian:
mager
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Russian:
обеднённый
(obednjónnyj)
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Spanish:
delgado
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Spanish:
sobreoxigenado
— having a low proportion of a desired substance
Spanish:
pobre
— having a low proportion of a desired substance