lev·er·age

[lev-er-ij, lee-ver-] noun, verb, lev·er·aged, lev·er·ag·ing.
noun
1.
the action of a lever, a rigid bar that pivots about one point and that is used to move an object at a second point by a force applied at a third.
2.
the mechanical advantage or power gained by using a lever.
3.
power or ability to act or to influence people, events, decisions, etc.; sway: Being the only industry in town gave the company considerable leverage in its union negotiations. advantage, strength, weight; clout, pull.
4.
the use of a small initial investment, credit, or borrowed funds to gain a very high return in relation to one's investment, to control a much larger investment, or to reduce one's own liability for any loss.
verb (used with object)
5.
to exert power or influence on.
6.
to use (a quality or advantage) to obtain a desired effect or result: She was able to leverage her travel experience and her gift for languages to get a job as a translator.
7.
to provide with leverage: The board of directors plans to leverage two failing branches of the company with an influx of cash.
8.
to invest or arrange (invested funds) using leverage.
00:10
Leverage is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to spend time idly; loaf.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

Origin:
1715–25; lever + -age

non·lev·er·aged, adjective
un·lev·er·aged, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
leverage (ˈliːvərɪdʒ, -vrɪdʒ, ˈlɛv-) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the action of a lever
2.  the mechanical advantage gained by employing a lever
3.  power to accomplish something; strategic advantage
4.  the enhanced power available to a large company: the supermarket chains have greater leverage than single-outlet enterprises
5.  US word for gearing
6.  the use made by a company of its limited assets to guarantee the substantial loans required to finance its business

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

leverage
1724, "action of a lever," from lever + -age. Meaning "power or force of a lever" is from 1830s; figurative sense from 1858. The noun in the financial sense is attested by 1937, Amer.Eng.; the verb by 1957. Related: Leveraged; leverages; leveraging.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

leverage definition


The amount in which a purchase is paid for in borrowed money. The greater the leverage, the greater the possible gain or potential loss.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
But the researchers are also working on a new suite of apps to leverage the
  driver sensing.
The trick to being both manager and employee is getting leverage on yourself.
One way of introducing more leverage is to adapt elements of the capital
  markets for use in this sector.
And the brain has been demonstrated to be plastic enough to tame and leverage a
  new interface in both directions already.
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