leverage

[lev-er-ij, lee-ver-] /ˈlɛv ər ɪdʒ, ˈli vər-/
noun
1.
the action of a lever, a rigid bar that pivots about one point and that is used to move an object at a second point by a force applied at a third.
2.
the mechanical advantage or power gained by using a lever.
3.
power or ability to act or to influence people, events, decisions, etc.; sway:
Being the only industry in town gave the company considerable leverage in its union negotiations.
Synonyms: advantage, strength, weight; clout, pull.
4.
the use of a small initial investment, credit, or borrowed funds to gain a very high return in relation to one's investment, to control a much larger investment, or to reduce one's own liability for any loss.
verb (used with object), leveraged, leveraging.
5.
to use (a quality or advantage) to obtain a desired effect or result:
She was able to leverage her travel experience and her gift for languages to get a job as a translator.
6.
to provide with leverage:
The board of directors plans to leverage two failing branches of the company with an influx of cash.
7.
to invest or arrange (invested funds) using leverage.
8.
to exert power or influence on:
It was Joe who leveraged her to change her habits.
Origin
1715-25; lever + -age
Related forms
nonleveraged, adjective
unleveraged, adjective
Examples from the web for leverage
  • More leverage, less wiggle-new snowboard boots and bindings give you an edge.
  • Fishermen drag hundreds of feet of line in a nearly weightless environment, wrestling for leverage and toiling against the tides.
  • And the brain has been demonstrated to be plastic enough to tame and leverage a new interface in both directions already.
  • For years now, people have clung to the conviction that you can have outsized returns with little risk, leverage without recoil.
  • It twisted its body into a knot, using it for leverage to push against the sediment.
  • He did not say which programs he would use as leverage, however.
  • He also said the governor might use the state budget as leverage to convince the governing boards.
  • Even when the equity is there, parents are reluctant to further leverage themselves into a future where job security is uncertain.
  • However, acknowledging this reality would rob us of any future leverage to expand our department.
  • The visits to our campus turned out to be no more than leverage for more desirable positions.
British Dictionary definitions for leverage

leverage

/ˈliːvərɪdʒ; -vrɪdʒ; ˈlɛv-/
noun
1.
the action of a lever
2.
the mechanical advantage gained by employing a lever
3.
power to accomplish something; strategic advantage
4.
the enhanced power available to a large company: the supermarket chains have greater leverage than single-outlet enterprises
5.
US word for gearing (sense 3)
6.
the use made by a company of its limited assets to guarantee the substantial loans required to finance its business
Word Origin and History for leverage
n.

1724, "action of a lever," from lever (n.) + -age. Meaning "power or force of a lever" is from 1827; figurative sense from 1858. The financial sense is attested by 1933, American English; as a verb by 1956. Related: Leveraged; leverages; leveraging.

leverage in Culture

leverage definition


The amount in which a purchase is paid for in borrowed money. The greater the leverage, the greater the possible gain or potential loss.