Meaning & use
leverage
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Meanings
noununcountable
Power or influence that gives you an advantage when bargaining or trying to get something.
Grammar: Often with over: leverage over a rival.
Patterns
- leverage over someone
- have leverage
The union had little leverage in the talks.
Owning the only road gave him leverage over the neighbors.
She used her experience as leverage to ask for a raise.
noununcountabletechnicalphysics
The mechanical advantage gained by using a lever, or the force produced that way.
Grammar: A physics idea: a longer lever means more leverage.
Patterns
- gain leverage
A long pipe gave him enough leverage to move the rock.
You get more leverage by pushing the end of the bar.
The crowbar provided the leverage to pry open the crate.
noununcountablefinance
The use of borrowed money to buy assets, aiming to increase possible gains.
Grammar: Used in finance: a company with high leverage owes a lot.
Patterns
- high/low leverage
The firm's high leverage made it risky.
Investors use leverage to boost returns.
Banks cut leverage after the crisis.
verbtransitivebusiness
To make full use of something you have so as to gain an advantage.
Grammar: Business usage: leverage existing skills.
Patterns
- leverage something to do something
The startup leveraged its network to find customers.
We can leverage last year's research for the new project.
She leveraged her reputation to win funding.
Word forms
| third person singular | leverages |
|---|---|
| past tense | leveraged |
| past participle | leveraged |
| -ing form | leveraging |
Common combinations
- gain leverage
- The team gained leverage in the negotiation.
- use as leverage
- He used the contract as leverage.
- financial leverage
- Too much financial leverage can sink a firm.
- political leverage
- The scandal gave rivals political leverage.
- leverage your strengths
- Leverage your strengths in the interview.
Synonyms and how they differ
- influence
- Influence is general sway over people, while leverage is influence you can use to force a result.
- clout
- Clout is informal and means general power, whereas leverage is power in one specific bargaining situation.
- advantage
- Advantage is any favorable position, and leverage is an advantage you actively use.
- utilize
- Utilize as a verb means simply use, while leverage suggests getting extra benefit from what you have.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: leverage or lever?
leverage vs lever
A lever is the physical bar, while leverage is the advantage or force gained from it.
Practice
The tenants had no ___ in the talks, because the landlord could easily replace them.
Choose one answer.
Leverage means bargaining power, which tenants lack if they are easy to replace. Liberty, liability and legacy are real words but do not mean bargaining power.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leverage”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.