as in influence
the power to direct the thinking or behavior of others usually indirectly
lacking much of the leverage it once had, the union is now being forced to make some concessions
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
a reality show contestant who's trying to leverage her 15 minutes of fame
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of leverage
Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2025
Law firms are businesses and subject to economic leverage, but lawyers as officers of the court constitute the lifeblood of the law in this country.
—Michael McAuliffe, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2025
C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 27 Mar. 2025
This hair transplant clinic provides personalized treatment plans, leveraging its advanced techniques to help patients achieve optimal results.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leverage
Noun
The United States would be solving one of Putin’s core geopolitical problems: his excessive reliance on China and limited leverage with Beijing.
—Michael McFaul, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2025
Law firms are businesses and subject to economic leverage, but lawyers as officers of the court constitute the lifeblood of the law in this country.
—Michael McAuliffe, Sun Sentinel, 3 Apr. 2025
Verb
Willard cast his negotiations for a contract extension at Maryland as an attempt to leverage the state’s flagship university into spending more on a program that has reached the tournament twice in his three seasons as coach.
—C.j. Doon, Baltimore Sun, 27 Mar. 2025
This hair transplant clinic provides personalized treatment plans, leveraging its advanced techniques to help patients achieve optimal results.
—Kyle J. Russell, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leverage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leverage
Noun
-
That economic footprint is matched by political and organizational influence.—
Ronak D. Desai,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
-
When a 1999 Top 100 list by a gay and lesbian publishing group failed to include Patricia Nell-Warren’s 1974 novel The Front Runner, many readers loudly objected, noting its influence on their own coming-out journeys.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Booker, who appeared to have nothing more than two glasses of water and notes on his lectern, skillfully used the rules to his advantage, permitting colleagues to ask questions to give himself brief moments of rest while still maintaining control of the floor.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025
-
When the bill was introduced in last year’s legislative session, sponsors said that the mental health of minors who excessively use social media was a main concern.—
Lee Ann Anderson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Nigel Slater’s paean to the likes of St. John and the River Café, places that still hold sway today.—
Amiel Stanek,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Apr. 2025
-
At that point, rather than consulting someone who obsesses over how caffeine focuses us by blocking adenosine receptors in the basal forebrain, philosophers should hold sway.—
Jessica Riskin,
The New York Review of Books,
3 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Chinese discount retailers like Shein and Temu and many Amazon, Walmart, Shopify and other marketplace retailers have exploited the de minimus exception to their advantage.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
-
In December 2024, Chinese hackers launched an audacious cyberattack on the U.S. Treasury, exploiting third-party software vulnerabilities.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Decades earlier, Loftus had demonstrated that people’s memories of visual details could be manipulated by posing questions that contained misinformation.—
Bernice Andrews,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2025
-
While Ticketmaster denies using surge pricing or dynamic algorithms to manipulate prices, fans like Jessica Chou question if their early participation in presales might be contributing to higher initial costs.—
Caché McClay,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state’s dioceses.—
Natalie Demaree,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Leverage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leverage. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share