Idioms

lean against

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lean against

1. To rest or recline against someone or something; to be propped against someone or something else. There's a big piece of sheet metal leaning against the side of the barn that you can use. We took turns leaning against each other while we waited in line.
2. To cause someone or something to rest or recline against someone or something; to prop someone or something up against someone or something else. In this usage, a noun or pronoun is used between "lean" and "against." We had to lean the injured soldier against the side of a tree while we scouted the surrounding area. You can just lean that mirror against the wall for the time being. Sorry, let me just lean this against you while I get the hooks drilled into the wall.
See also: lean
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

lean something against someone or something

to prop something against someone or something. She leaned her spade against the house and wiped the sweat from her brow. Bill leaned the mirror against his leg while he screwed the hook into the wall.
See also: lean

lean against someone or something

to prop oneself against someone or something. The child leaned against her sister to keep warm. I leaned against the back of the chair and went right to sleep.
See also: lean
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive
Lorio said the dog pulled her by her collar off the car boot and dragged her about 50 yards and let her lean against him so she could flag a passing motorist.
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Passengers would lean against a padded backboard, and a harness would hold them in place.
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This means I get badly out of breath and have to lean against litter bins and anything else I can find."
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The eleven-minute loop depicts a series of interiors that seem to fulfill Italian designer Joe Colombo's 1960s vision of a domestic future in which "furnishings will disappear; the habitat will be everywhere." The rooms are almost entirely empty, save for a few doors that lean against the walls and some hanging globe lamps that give this strange dwelling a retro-futuristic feel--like the set of 2001 if it had been designed by Verner Panton.
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But there are times when a nation's leadership must lean against market pressures.
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In this exercise, lean against a wall and slide down to a seated position, with your thighs parallel to the floor.
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