Leverage Meaning
/ˈlɛv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.
nounAny influence which is compounded or used to gain an advantage.
Sentence Examples
Leverage is to debt as lever is to what?
What we need is leverage.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
By using its strong brand, the company can ____ its market position.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company used its strong market position to ____ a better deal from its main suppliers earlier today.
Word Origin & History
From lever + -age. The verb likely comes from martial arts/judo usage, where one would "use an opponent's leverage (i.e. their weight, height, centre of balance, etc.)" against them in order to defeat them.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In order to proportion the braking force to the weight carried by a wheel - a matter of special importance in the braking of wagons - variable leverage systems are now being introduced in which the end of one axle spring is linked to a control spring in the change-over valve, so automatically varying the leverage exerted by the brake-rod according to whether the wagon is full or empty."
— 1960 April, “The braking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 237:
"The former Forest man, who passed a late fitness test, appeared to use Guy Moussi for leverage before nodding in David Fox's free-kick at the far post - his 22nd goal of the season."
— 2011 April 15, Saj Chowdhury, “Norwich 2 - 1 Nott'm Forest”, in BBC Sport:
"Online margin trading is usually based on leverage, where the brokerage effectively lets you borrow more money than you have deposited as collateral."
— 2011, Brian Dolan, Currency Trading For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 55:
"Both exchanges offer crypto derivatives, which are bets on future fluctuations in cryptocurrency prices. They also offer extreme leverage — up to 125 times on Binance. That means a $1,000 down payment can be turned into a $125,000 gamble."
— 2021 July 23, Eric Lipton, Ephrat Livni, “‘I Feel Conflicted’: Crypto’s Offshore Trading Moguls Talk Shop”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
"S.E.C. rules cap E.T.F.s from offering more than two times leverage. The nine fund managers who received a letter from the S.E.C. sought to introduce products that offered three and, in some cases, five times leverage."
— 2025 December 5, “Why the Battle for Warner Bros. Discovery May Not Be Over Yet”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
By using its strong brand, the company can ____ its market position.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company used its strong market position to ____ a better deal from its main suppliers earlier today.