lever

Syllables: le·ver/ˈliː.və//ˈlɛv.ɚ/

lever noun: a rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion.

Image: CR, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun (1)

lever (plural levers)

A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion.
1. Specifically, a bar of metal, wood or other rigid substance, used to exert a pressure, or sustain a weight, at one point of its length, by receiving a force or power at a second, and turning at a third on a fixed point called a fulcrum. It is usually named as the first of the six mechanical powers, and is of three kinds, according as either the fulcrum F, the weight W, or the power P, respectively, is situated between the other two, as in the figures.
  - Retractable steps and handrails are provided on each side of the cars. The steps, which are under the control of the guard, are operated by hand levers in the entrance vestibule.1952 September, “Modernised Pull-and-Push Trains”, in Railway Magazine, page 617
A small such piece to trigger or control a mechanical device (like a switch or a button).
A bar, as a capstan bar, applied to a rotatory piece to turn it.
- A doorknob of whatever roundish shape is effectively a continuum of levers, with the axis of the latching mechanism—known as the spindle—being the fulcrum about which the turning takes place.2012 March, Henry Petroski, “Opening Doors”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, pages 112–3
An arm on a rock shaft, to give motion to the shaft or to obtain motion from it.
(obsolete, except in generalized senses below) A crowbar.
- My lord, I brained him with a lever my neighbour lent me, and he stood by and cried, ‘Strike home, old boy!’1613, John Marston, William Barksted, The Insatiate Countess, IV.1

Verb

lever (third-person singular simple present levers, present participle levering, simple past and past participle levered)

(transitive) To move with a lever.
- With great effort and a big crowbar I managed to lever the beam off the floor.
- Someone found a pick and levered a burst plank out of the floor, and in a few minutes we had got a fire alight and our drenched clothes were steaming.1938 April, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter VII, in Homage to Catalonia, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC
Synonyms:

purchase
(figuratively, transitive) To use, operate or move (something) like a lever (physically).
- Sullen now, with stultified spleen, Mrs Dibble grappled her crutches and levered herself upright after an ungainly struggle.1950, Norman Lindsay, Dust or Polish?, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 150
- Suddenly he had levered himself up from the sofa, rocking the lame man violently, and was walking towards the receptionist.1961, V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr Biswas, Vintage International, published 2001, Part Two, Chapter 1
(figuratively, transitive) To use (something) like a lever (in an abstract sense).
- He was a man who levered his way from small-time communist hack to political power by tapping into the most potent vein of historical juice in the Balkans: nationalism.2001 April 9, Joshua Cooper Ramo, “Bagging the Butcher”, in Time
- Credited with pioneering the detective novel, Collins has attracted many biographers over the years, drawn to his extraordinary life and work in the hope of levering open a new understanding of the Victorian psyche.2013 December 8, Robert McCrum, “Biographies of the year — review”, in The Guardian
(UK) To increase the share of debt in the capitalization of a business.
- "The equity holders want you to 'lever up,' use as much debt as you can," said David Stanley, chairman of Kansas City-based Payless Cashways,1989 June 26, “Corporate America wants its privacy”, in Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Adverb

lever (not comparable)

(obsolete) Rather.
- Now therfore take my life from me / for I had leuer dye then liue.[1531, William Tyndale, transl.], The prophete Ionas […], [Antwerp: Merten de Keyser], chapter iiij:[3]
- The wolde ſome mayſter perhappes clowt ye / But as for me ye nede nat doute ye / For I had leuer be without ye / Then haue ſuche beſyneſſe aboute ye.[1545?], John Heywood, The Playe Called The Foure PP […], London: […] Wyllyam Myddylton, →OCLC; reprinted as John S. Farmer, editor, The Play Called The Four PP […] (The Tudor Facsimile Texts)...

Noun (2)

lever (plural levers)

(rare) A levee.
- We do not appear at Phœbus's Levér.1742, Miss Robinson, Mrs. Delany's Letters, II.191
- Louis XIV’s day began with a lever at 9 and ended (officially) at around midnight.2011 September 21, Tim Blanning, “The reinvention of the night”, in Times Literary Supplement

Proper noun capitalized: Lever

Lever (plural Levers)

A surname.

lever meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

lever in Hindi

rigid piece: उत्तोलक uttolak, लीवर līvar

lever in Tamil

rigid piece: நெம்புகோல் nempukōl

lever in Marathi

लीव्हर

lever in Urdu

rigid piece: لیور līvar

More languagesFewer languages

lever in Bengali: লিভার libhar
lever in Telugu: తులాదండము tulādaṇḍamu
lever in Malayalam: ഉത്തോലകം uttōlakaṁ
lever in Kannada: ಹೆದ್ದ, ಸನ್ನೆ, ಸನ್ನೆಗಟ್ಟಿಗೆ, ಸನ್ನೆಗೋಲು
lever in Punjabi: ਕਾਂਟਾ kāṇṭā
lever in Gujarati: ઉચ્ચાલક uccālak
lever in Odia: ଲିଭର୍
lever in Pashto: رافعه rāfe'á, اړم aṛám, اړمی aramáy, خريز xriz
lever in Tagalog: dalawit
lever in Arabic: مُخْل muḵl, مُحْل muḥl, عَتَلَة ʕatala, رَافِعَة rāfiʕa
lever in Malay: tuil, tuas, pengumpil, pengungkil
lever in Indonesian: tuas, pengungkit
lever in Persian: اهرم ahrom
lever in Thai: คาน kaan
lever in Vietnamese: đòn bẩy
lever in Myanmar: ကုတ် kut

Examples of lever in a sentence

The lab rat was programmed to press the lever when the bell rang.
I pull up the lever when I want to make my car go into first gear.
This deluxe machine features anodized aluminum handles on all adjusting levers.

All 40 example sentences with lever

Synonyms of lever

Forms of lever

Noun
plural	levers
Verb
third-person singular present	levers
present participle	levering
past participle	levered
past	levered
Adverb
alternative form	liever
Proper noun
plural	Levers

Plural of lever: levers

Origin of lever

From Middle English lever, levore, levour, from Old French leveor, leveur (“a lifter, lever (also Old French and French levier)”), from Latin levātor (“a lifter”), from levō (“to raise”). Doublet of levator.

From Middle English lever, comparative of leve, leef (“dear, beloved, lief”), equivalent to lief + -er. Related to German lieber (“rather”).

Borrowed from French lever.

Words formed from lever

Phrases with lever

Words that rhyme with lever

6 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about lever

What does lever mean?: Lever means a rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for transmitting and modifying force and motion.
What is lever in Hindi?: Lever in Hindi is उत्तोलक (uttolak), लीवर (līvar). See Lever meaning in Hindi.
What part of speech is lever?: Lever can be a noun, a verb, an adverb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce lever?: Lever is pronounced /ˈliː.və/ (UK).
What is the plural of lever?: The plural of lever is levers.

Words near lever in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: lever (page history and authors); Lever (page history and authors); lever (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); lever (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਕਾਂਟਾ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); lever (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-lever.ogg, II US lever.ogg.

Cite this entry: “lever.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lever. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.