[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/lever.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / lever

[← L](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/L/)

# lever

«lever» in Mova's school dictionary: **a bar or handle that moves around a fixed point (the…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a lever, levers); verb (lever, levers, levered, levering)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A lever is a bar or handle that moves around a fixed point (the pivot or fulcrum) to help lift or move something heavy with less effort. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#m1)

2) A lever is a handle you push or pull to work a machine: a gear lever. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#m2)

3) To lever something is to move or open it using a lever: lever off a lid. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In science, the lever is a simple machine: a seesaw, scissors, a spoon prising open a tin lid, a bottle opener and a wheelbarrow are all levers. The farther your push is from the pivot, the less force you need to lift the load. Phrases: pull the lever, lever open, lever up, gear lever.

### examples

- A seesaw is a kind of lever. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x1)
- Use a spoon as a lever to open the paint tin. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x2)
- Pull the lever to start the machine. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x3)
- Scissors are two levers joined together. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x4)
- The longer the lever, the easier it is to lift the load. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x5)
- She levered the lid off the box. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x6)
- The pivot is the point a lever turns around. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x7)
- The driver moved the gear lever. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/#x8)

### note

Pronounced LEE-ver (UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland) or LEV-er (USA, Canada). Parts: load, effort, pivot (fulcrum). In maths/science, a lever balances when weight x distance on one side equals weight x distance on the other side.

### In the corpora

- [In one experiment goldfish learned to push a lever for food and remembered the time of day when it worked.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/152-goldfish-memory/5/)
- [Do not use a knife to lever open a lid; ask for help, because the knife can snap or slip.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/105-knives-kitchen-tools-and-cooking/9/)
- [If toast starts smoking, press the cancel lever and unplug the toaster.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/107-oven-hob-kettle-toaster-and-dishwasher/11/)
- [Goldfish can remember things for months and can be trained to respond to sounds and push levers for food.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/myths/11-animals-in-the-sea-and-the-river/6/)
- [Seesaws, scissors, wheelbarrows, bottle openers, nutcrackers, tongs and even your own arm are all levers.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/physics/33-levers-lifting-heavy-things-with-a-little-push/4/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «lever» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lever/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.