Lever
/ˈliːvər/
nounverbB1
Definition
A lever is a long, stiff bar that you push or pull to lift or move something heavy. It works by using a fixed point called a fulcrum to make the work easier. When used as a verb, "to lever" means to move or lift something by pushing or pulling with a lever or similar tool.
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See It in Action
A tool or bar used to move or lift heavy objects
- •He used a lever to lift the heavy rock off the ground.
- •The crowbar acts as a lever to open the crate.
- •Simple machines like levers help people do work more easily.
To move or lift something by using a lever or similar tool
- •They levered the door open with a metal bar.
- •She levered the box off the shelf carefully.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "lever" like "push," but with a tool that makes pushing easier and stronger
- ✓Picture a seesaw on a playground — when one side goes down, the other goes up; that bar acts like a lever
- ✓It's the feeling when you try to open a stuck door with a strong stick to help you push harder
- ✓Sounds like "LEA-ver" → imagine a leaf (light and thin) helping you lift a heavy rock by pushing under it
- ✓Think of the story of Archimedes, who said, "Give me a place to stand, and I will move the Earth" — he meant using a lever to move big things
- ✓NOT like "push" alone (your hand has to be very strong), a lever helps you push with less effort
- ✓NOT like "machine" (complex), a lever is a very simple tool but very powerful
- ✓NOT like "lift" (just using your hands), a lever uses a bar and a fixed point to help lift or move things easier
Try Other Words
- •Crowbar: a strong metal bar used to open or move things (Use when talking about a specific tool used as a lever)
- •Handle: part of a tool or object used to hold or move it (Use when focusing on the part you hold, not the whole tool)
- •Pry: to use force to open or move something (Use when emphasizing the action of forcing something open, often with a lever)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no prefix or suffix) root word "lever"
- •Etymology: from Old French "levier," from Latin "levare," meaning "to raise" or "lift"
- •Historical development: first used in English in the 14th century to mean a tool for lifting or moving heavy objects
- •Modern usage: still used in physics and everyday language to describe a simple machine and the action of using that machine to move or lift things
Reflect & Connect
•How does a lever make work easier in everyday tasks you know?
•Can you think of examples where people use levers without tools, just their body parts?
Fill in the blanks
1.He used a lever to ___ the heavy box because it was too heavy to lift by hand.
2.The lever works by pushing against a ___ point to move something heavier.
3.When you ___ a stuck window open, you often use a tool like a crowbar.
4.Unlike just pushing, using a lever lets you move things with less ___.
5.The seesaw on the playground acts like a ___ to lift one side when the other goes down.
6.To open the crate, they ___ the lid carefully with a metal bar.
7.You can tell a lever is working well when it makes the hard job feel much more ___.