LEVER
Dictionary entry overview: What does lever mean?
• LEVER (noun)
The noun LEVER has 3 senses:
1. a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
2. a simple machine that gives a mechanical advantage when given a fulcrum
3. a flat metal tumbler in a lever lock
Familiarity information: LEVER used as a noun is uncommon.
• LEVER (verb)
The verb LEVER has 1 sense:
1. to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
Familiarity information: LEVER used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• LEVER (noun)
Meaning:
A rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("lever" is a kind of...):
bar (a rigid piece of metal or wood; usually used as a fastening or obstruction or weapon)
Meronyms (parts of "lever"):
fulcrum (the pivot about which a lever turns)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lever"):
compound lever (a pair of levers hinged at the fulcrum)
tire iron; tire tool (hand tool consisting of a lever that is used to force the casing of a pneumatic tire onto a steel wheel)
tiller (lever used to turn the rudder on a boat)
tappet (a lever that is moved in order to tap something else)
control stick; joystick; stick (a lever used by a pilot to control the ailerons and elevators of an airplane)
spark lever ((on early automobiles) a lever mounted on the steering column and used to adjust the timing of the ignition)
rocker arm; valve rocker (a lever pivoted at the center; used especially to push a valve down in an internal-combustion engine)
ripping bar (a steel lever with one end formed into a ripping chisel and the other a gooseneck with a claw for pulling nails)
pinch bar (a lever with a pointed projection that serves as a fulcrum; used to roll heavy wheels)
foot lever; foot pedal; pedal; treadle (a lever that is operated with the foot)
cant dog; peavey; peavy (a stout lever with a sharp spike; used for handling logs)
key (a lever that actuates a mechanism when depressed)
hand throttle (a hand-operated lever that controls the throttle valve)
gun trigger; trigger (lever that activates the firing mechanism of a gun)
crowbar; pry; pry bar; wrecking bar (a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge)
Meaning:
A simple machine that gives a mechanical advantage when given a fulcrum
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("lever" is a kind of...):
machine; simple machine (a device for overcoming resistance at one point by applying force at some other point)
Meaning:
A flat metal tumbler in a lever lock
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
lever tumbler; lever
Hypernyms ("lever" is a kind of...):
tumbler (a movable obstruction in a lock that must be adjusted to a given position (as by a key) before the bolt can be thrown)
Holonyms ("lever" is a part of...):
lever lock (a lock whose tumblers are levers that must be raised to a given position so that the bolt can move)
• LEVER (verb)
Meaning:
To move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
Classified under:
Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging
Synonyms:
jimmy; lever; prise; pry; prize
Context examples:
The burglar jimmied the lock / Raccoons managed to pry the lid off the garbage pail
Hypernyms (to "lever" is one way to...):
open; open up (cause to open or to become open)
"Lever" entails doing...:
loose; loosen (make loose or looser)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP
