What does leant mean?
Leant is the past tense and past participle of the verb lean, a form especially familiar from British and other Commonwealth English. It can describe a person or object that has tilted or rested against something: a cyclist leant into a turn, or a ladder leant against a wall. It can also describe reliance or support, as in “the government leant on its allies” or “she leant on her friends for encouragement.” The form reflects an older irregular pattern in which the vowel changes from /iː/ to /ɛ/ in the past tense. Although leant remains standard in much of the English-speaking world, it is less frequent in American English, where the regular form leaned is normally preferred. The word is useful not only for its practical meaning but also as a reminder of how different varieties of English preserve competing grammatical forms.
verbLeant is the past tense and past participle of lean, used especially in British English. It means to have tilted, rested, or supported oneself against something, or, in the sense “lean on,” to have depended on something for support.
- Past tense and past participle of lean, meaning having tilted, rested, or supported oneself against something.
- Past tense and past participle of lean in the sense of depending on something for support or reassurance.
"She leant against the doorframe while she waited for the room to empty."
"The old ladder leant against the side of the barn."
"For several months, the committee leant heavily on the advice of its chair."
Leant survives as a beautifully irregular past form of lean, while its regular alternative, leaned, has become the dominant form in American English.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does leant come from?
Leant is an irregular past form of lean, whose verb descends from Old English hlænan, meaning to incline or rest. It is cognate with forms such as German lehnen and Dutch lenen. The historical vowel alternation in leant reflects a pattern inherited through English rather than the modern tendency to form the past tense with -ed.
How leant is actually used
Leant is especially common in British, Australian, and New Zealand English. In American English, leaned is much more frequent, although leant is not incorrect.
Easily confused with leant
Lean is the base form of the verb, while leant is its past tense and past participle.