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Glite Dictionary
to lean back

to lean back

66 2.2
Move your upper body away from sitting upright to rest more comfortably
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : inclinarse hacia atrás
  • After a long day at work, I like to lean back in my chair and unwind for a few minutes.
  • lean back in a chair
  • say while leaning back

It pulled so hard I had to lean back as I spun.

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Examples

  • Kevin sighed, picked up his essay, and leaned back in his chair.

    Academic text (2003)

  • "I definitely see a major movement toward deeper-water search and recovery," he said, leaning back in his chair.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Then just lean back and just take a little second to relax.

  • Then just lean back and just take a little second to relax.

  • Don, feet on the wall, and lean back.

    Blue Like Jazz (2012)

  • So just lean back and keep your feet up high.

    Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008)

  • Just lean back into the seat, into the door.

    Gregoire (2017)

  • OK, Anna, I'm gonna need you to lean back.

    A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

  • But his eyes quickly grew heavy, and he leaned back and was almost instantly asleep.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • After I understood that, I could lean back and watch the show with a kind of enjoyment.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

to sit back
vsto lean back
  • Informal
87 2.7

To lean back and relax while you watch

involves shifting the upper body toward the rear as a single physical movement
to recline
vsto lean back
11 3.2

To lean or lie back in a comfortable position

focuses on shifting only the upper body rearwards rather than lying fully down

Antonyms

to stand
∞ 1.0

To be or put something in an upright position

to sit up
126 1.0

To move from lying down to an upright position

How Reclined

to lie down
221 1.0
to recline
11 3.2
to lean back
66 2.2

Surface Forms

lean back infinitive
leaned back past
leaned back past participle
leaning back present participle
leans back third person singular

Morphology

lean + back

The meaning 'to move your upper body backwards' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'lean' (to bend or rest at an angle) with 'back' (toward the rear). This motion verb + directional particle pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb lean back comes from a simple picture: to lean is to rest your body and back shows the direction toward your 'back'. Imagine moving your upper body into a chair to relax — that's why lean back means 'to move your upper body backwards' or 'to become more relaxed'.