Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Having or characterized by a single slope or pitch.
- noun A structure with a single-pitch roof that is attached to the side of a building as a wing or extension.
- noun A shelter or shed having a roof with a single slope or pitch.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Having rafters or supports pitched against or leaning on another building, a wall, or the like: as, a lean-to roof.
- noun A building whose rafters or supports pitch against or lean upon another building, or against a wall, or the like; a penthouse.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective (Arch.) Having only one slope or pitch; -- said of a roof.
- noun (Arch.) A shed or slight building placed against the wall of a larger structure and having a single-pitched roof; -- called also
penthouse , andto-fall . - noun A crude, usually temporary shelter comprising a lean-to roof braced against any convenient support, as a wall, a tree or a pole. The roof may extend all the way to the ground.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
shelter with asloped roof ; also a building with a similar construction attached to the side of a building as an extension.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun rough shelter whose roof has only one slope
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
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Examples
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Consider yourself lucky and use that Lone Star flag of yours as a lean-to.
Rachel Farris: Texas Governor Offers Unemployed Two Choices: Buy a Job or Just Say Thanks Rachel Farris 2010
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Poverty here is similarly appalling, not only in Chennai's slums, but throughout the city, where makeshift lean-to's butt up against the walls of the Madras High Court.
India's Southern Promises Michael Auslin 2011
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I looked up from the shelter of our lean-to, and there he stood.
Fire The Sky W. Michael Gear 2011
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Even a lean-to needs two uprights and a crosspiece.
Fire The Sky W. Michael Gear 2011
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Even a lean-to needs two uprights and a crosspiece.
Fire The Sky W. Michael Gear 2011
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I lived in the lean-to the first year; then I built the cabin and sent for my books.
Chapter IX 2010
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How does a disadvantaged teen, who is living in a lean-to in a remote village in Kenya, gain access to a college education, when most of her peers become parents in high school?
Natalie Pace: Microsoft: Skype's New Owner Empowers Girls in Kenya Natalie Pace 2011
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How does a disadvantaged teen, who is living in a lean-to in a remote village in Kenya, gain access to a college education, when most of her peers become parents in high school?
Natalie Pace: Microsoft: Skype's New Owner Empowers Girls in Kenya Natalie Pace 2011
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The cooking being done in the small, lean-to kitchen, the whole cabin formed a large living room.
Chapter IX 2010
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I looked up from the shelter of our lean-to, and there he stood.
Fire The Sky W. Michael Gear 2011
bilby commented on the word lean-to
'Formerly a high judicial officer' makes it sound as if he/she has been dewigged by a scandal.
April 11, 2008
ruzuzu commented on the word lean-to
"A shed or slight building placed against the wall of a larger structure and having a single-pitched roof; -- called also penthouse, and to-fall."
-- from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
September 9, 2014