lean in

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To lean in is to move closer, to hear better or to show interest. The body says you are paying attention.

It is one of the most readable pieces of body language there is, since leaning in signals engagement and leaning back signals the opposite, and interviewers are trained to notice. The phrase acquired a second life as business advice meaning to commit to something rather than hold back, and leaning in to a challenge is now standard corporate language. Lean on somebody is a quite different phrase about pressure.

Definitions of lean in

1phraselean inTo move your upper body closer to somebody or something.B2
“She had to lean in to catch what he was saying.”
2phrasecommitTo commit fully to something rather than hold back.C1
“They decided to lean in to the criticism rather than deny it.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Body Language & Gestures

First appears in chapter 8 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

← Vocabulary

lean in

phraseB22 meaningsNot compared — the two pools are counted one word at a time, so a phrase has no score

To lean in is to move closer, to hear better or to show interest. The body says you are paying attention.

Definitions of lean in

1phraselean inTo move your upper body closer to somebody or something.B2
“She had to lean in to catch what he was saying.”
2phrasecommitTo commit fully to something rather than hold back.C1
“They decided to lean in to the criticism rather than deny it.”

Practised in A Man Called Ove, Body Language & Gestures

First appears in chapter 8 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word