lean on

present singular third person leans on · participle present leaning on · participle past leaned on · past leaned on · participle past leant on · past leant on

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lean, on.

   They sat there leaning on their elbows.

2. figurativelyTo depend upon for support; to require assistance from.

   I wish to acknowledge my supervisors (including my unofficial supervisors) who I have leaned on greatly to create a thesis (hopefully) worth reading.

   2020, Angus Charles Lindsay, "Swallowing the Black Pill: A Qualitative Exploration of Incel Antifeminism within Digital Society", thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington, https://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10063/8915/thesis_access.pdf?sequence=1

3. To put pressure on; to attempt to compel a person to do something; to exert influence on.

   He didn't make a donation until some of his customers leaned on him.

   1 more example

   [ Scott Gottlieb ] argues that putting dairy and nondairy milks under the same umbrella dupes consumers into thinking the two are nutritional equals, which, according to him, could have potentially dire consequences such as rickets in toddlers. […] Of course, a more cynical read of the situation posits that Big Dairy is leaning on the FDA to discredit plant milks, the industry’s biggest competition, as a viable substitute for cow’s milk.

   2018 August 15, Benjamin Kemper, “Nut Milks Are Milk, Says Almost Every Culture Across the Globe”, in Smithsonian Magazine

4. To criticize or reprimand for the purpose of changing behavior.