I. le ‧ ver 1 /ˈliːvə $ ˈlevər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: levier , from lever 'to raise' ]
1 . a stick or handle on a machine or piece of equipment, that you move to operate it:
Pull this lever to open the gate.
⇨ ↑ gear lever
2 . a long thin piece of metal that you use to lift something heavy by putting one end under the object and pushing the other end down
3 . something you use to influence a situation to get the result that you want:
Rich countries use foreign aid as a lever to achieve political aims.
II. lever 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
1 . to move something with a lever
lever something off/up/out etc
He levered the stone into place.
2 . lever yourself up ( also lever yourself onto/out of etc something ) to move your body by pushing on something with your arms to help you:
He slowly levered himself up.
3 . to make someone leave a particular job, situation etc
lever somebody out
They’re trying to lever him out of his job.