leverage

Meanings

Plural: leverages

Noun

• the mechanical advantage gained by being in a position to use a lever
• strategic advantage; power to act effectively
  • "relatively small groups can sometimes exert immense political leverage"
• investing with borrowed money as a way to amplify potential gains (at the risk of greater losses)
• A force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.
• Any influence which is compounded or used to gain an advantage.
• 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.
• The debt-to-equity ratio.
• The ability to earn very high returns when operating at high-capacity utilization of a facility.
• The distance of between an independent observation and other observations.

Verb

• supplement with leverage
  • "leverage the money that is already available"
• provide with leverage
  • "We need to leverage this company"
• To use; to exploit; to manipulate in order to take full advantage (of something).

Synonyms

exploit, gearing, leveraging, mechanical advantage, operating leverage, purchase, use

Related Words

force multiplier