lever
noun
le·ver
| \ ˈle-vər
, ˈlē-
\
, ˈlē-
\
Definition of lever
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a bar used for prying or dislodging something
b
: an inducing or compelling force : tool
use food as a political lever — Time
2a
: a rigid piece that transmits and modifies force or motion when forces are applied at two points and it turns about a third
specifically
: a rigid bar used to exert a pressure or sustain a weight at one point of its length by the application of a force at a second and turning at a third on a fulcrum
b
: a projecting piece by which a mechanism (see mechanism sense 1) is operated or adjusted
lever
verb
levered;
levering\ ˈle-və-riŋ
, ˈlē- ; ˈlev-riŋ , ˈlēv- \
, ˈlē- ; ˈlev-riŋ , ˈlēv- \
Definition of lever (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to pry, raise, or move with or as if with a lever
2
: to operate (a device) in the manner of a lever
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Examples of lever in a Sentence
Noun
They used their money as a lever to gain political power.Verb
He levered the rock out of the hole. the workers used crowbars to lever the heavy stone block into its new position
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
After a while, Trump will refocus on the one lever solely under his control: indexation of capital gains. — Grover Norquist, Twin Cities, "Grover Norquist: Indexing capital gains helps more than the rich," 29 Aug. 2019 After a while, Trump will refocus on the one lever solely under his control: indexation of capital gains. — Grover Norquist, The Denver Post, "Grover Norquist: Trump should index capital gains to spare millions of Americans from paying taxes on inflation," 27 Aug. 2019 Fear of injury is lever that teams use to scare players and agents in negotiations. — Andrew Brandt, SI.com, "Ezekiel Elliott and Melvin Gordon Will Likely Get Their Contract Upgrade—With a Caveat," 6 Aug. 2019 To rebuild a culture of liberty online, conservatives have to engage two audiences, first and most directly the small audience of men and women who hold the levers of corporate power. — David French, National Review, "Social-Media Censorship Is the Product of Culture and Commerce," 6 June 2019 Democrats—despite almost 50 years of knowledge about the Powell Memo—have utterly failed to grasp the memo’s basic argument: That the ability to make change comes to those who strategically and methodically focus on the levers of power. — Adam Eichen, The New Republic, "After 48 Years, Democrats Still Haven’t Gotten the Memo," 23 July 2019 On the other hand, policy makers now have fewer levers left to pull. — Nathaniel Taplin, WSJ, "Deflation Stalks Chinese Industry Again," 10 July 2019 In the American blood sport of college admissions, the rich have long had more levers to pull. — Ben Steverman, Bloomberg.com, "Rich Parents Have Plenty of Ways to Game the U.S. Education System," 12 Mar. 2019 The portable flotation device basically works like an air bag in your car: In the case of an emergency, the wearer pulls the lever to inflate a small bag that can float anyone up to 275 pounds. — Rori Kotch, Country Living, "This Life Vest Alternative Might Completely Change How You Swim," 8 July 2015Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The grooves could have allowed the builders to lower the stones onto the walls, roll them into place using rollers, lever them up to remove the rollers, then extract the ropes from under the blocks without lifting them back up. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The Ancient Greeks Used Machines to Lift Stones 150 Years Earlier Than Previously Believed," 29 Aug. 2019 Some analysts have expressed concern that shrinking revenue, modest earnings growth and a ballooning balance sheet could cause the company to lever up too quickly for the next deal. — Kimberly Chin, WSJ, "Kraft Heinz Write-Downs Raise Doubts About Its Future Path," 22 Feb. 2019 What was once the domain of a handful of big players like AerCap and GE Capital Aviation Services, levering insider knowledge of planes and airlines, is now a patchwork of 20 or so smaller lessors trading similar aircraft at ever lower margins. — Jon Sindreu, WSJ, "Aircraft Investors Should Be More Grounded," 25 Jan. 2019 Were it to lever up to two times Ebitda, Altria could spend another $6 billion on top of its Cronos investment without upsetting investors. — Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Marijuana Won’t Keep Marlboro Man Buzzing," 7 Dec. 2018 All would reduce the incentive and ability to lever up the housing stock. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "How close are we to another financial crisis? 8 experts weigh in.," 18 Sep. 2018 No matter which levers Mr. Lampert pulled, Sears racked up hefty losses. — Suzanne Kapner, WSJ, "Sears Reshaped America, From Kenmore to Allstate," 15 Oct. 2018 The hat was then turned 90 degrees and levered onto the statue’s head and the ramp was removed, forming wings on either side of the moai that still exist. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "The Clever Way the Easter Island Statues Got Hats," 13 June 2018 That means the hats must have been levered upward and then tilted down onto the head of the statue. — Kiona N. Smith, Ars Technica, "How does a preindustrial society put a 13-ton hat on a statue?," 5 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lever.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for lever
lever
noun
English Language Learners Definition of lever
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a strong bar that is used to lift and move something heavy
: a bar or rod that is used to operate or adjust something on a machine, vehicle, device, etc.
: something used to achieve a desired result
lever
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of lever (Entry 2 of 2)
: to lift or move (something) with a lever
See the full definition for lever in the English Language Learners Dictionary
lever
noun
le·ver
| \ ˈle-vər
, ˈlē-\
, ˈlē-\
Kids Definition of lever
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a bar used to pry or move something
2
: a stiff bar for lifting a weight at one point of its length by pressing or pulling at a second point while the bar turns on a support
3
: a bar or rod used to run or adjust something
a gearshift lever