le·ver·age
ˈle-və-rij 
ˈlē-;
ˈlev-rij,
ˈlēv-
1
: the action of a lever or the mechanical advantage gained by it
2
: power, effectiveness
trying to gain more political leverage
3
: the use of credit to enhance one's speculative capacity
leveraged; leveraging
1
: to provide (something, such as a corporation) or supplement (something, such as money) with leverage
also
: to enhance as if by supplying with financial leverage
2
: to use for gain : exploit
shamelessly leverage the system to their advantage—
Alexander Wolff
Alexander WolffExamples of leverage in a Sentence
Noun
The union's size gave it leverage in the labor contract negotiations.
The player's popularity has given him a great deal of leverage with the owners of the team.
I used the leverage of the bar and a wooden block to pry the rock out of the hole.
Verb
The company wants to leverage its brands more effectively.
a reality show contestant who's trying to leverage her 15 minutes of fame
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew R. Chow, Time, 14 May 2025
Additionally, employers don’t have the leverage and scale to drive reimbursement changes or scale quality measures in the same manner that public programs can.
—Dan Mendelson, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Sneha S.k, USA Today, 16 May 2025
In addition to workspace, many incubators offer mentoring, educational programs, coaching, and introductions to investors, industry executives and other tech ecosystem resources.
Carving out time to leverage these offerings can be a potential game changer for founders.
—Karen Cashion, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for leverage
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Noun
Now, Trump is using them as leverage for his larger trade ambitions.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 14 May 2025
Additionally, employers don’t have the leverage and scale to drive reimbursement changes or scale quality measures in the same manner that public programs can.
—Dan Mendelson, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Verb
For decades, the company has flourished by leveraging its dominance in insurance and growth in the Medicare market, the U.S. government program that covers medical costs for the elderly.
—Sneha S.k, USA Today, 16 May 2025
In addition to workspace, many incubators offer mentoring, educational programs, coaching, and introductions to investors, industry executives and other tech ecosystem resources.
Carving out time to leverage these offerings can be a potential game changer for founders.
—Karen Cashion, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for leverage
Cite this Entry
“Leverage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leverage. Accessed 21 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
leverage
1 of 2 noun
le·ver·age
ˈle-vrij, -və-rij
: the use of credit to enhance one's speculative capacity
leverage
2 of 2 transitive verb
leveraged; leveraging
: to provide (as a corporation) or supplement (as money) with leverage
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