leverage

noun
le·ve·rage
/ˈlɛv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/

A force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.

Example

“A crowbar uses leverage to pry nails out of wood.”

Other meanings

Any influence which is compounded or used to gain an advantage.
“Try using competitors’ prices for leverage in the negotiation.”
The use of borrowed funds with a contractually determined return to increase the ability to invest and earn an expected higher return, but usually at high risk.
“Leverage is great until something goes wrong with your investments and you still have to pay your debts.”

Synonyms

purchase

Related words

overleverage

Example sentences

“We need leverage if we're going to lift this.”
Tatoeba · shekitten · CC0

Where this comes from

This definition is adapted from “leverage” on Wiktionary, by its contributors; example sentences are from Tatoeba, credited to their authors above; related-word lists use Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0, based on Princeton WordNet), published under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page is published under the same licence.