leveraged

1 of 2

adjective

lev·​er·​aged ˈle-və-rijd 

ˈlē-;

ˈlev-rijd, 

ˈlēv-

1

: having a high proportion of debt relative to equity

2

of the purchase of a company : made with borrowed money that is secured by the assets of the company bought

a leveraged buyout

leveraged

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of leverage entry 2

Examples of leveraged in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The stakes are especially high here because the new company is highly leveraged, with roughly $80 billion in debt and an aggressive timeline to pay it down. — Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

Ratings agencies and investors are fretting about leverage as the combined company enters a shifting media landscape with $80 billion in debt after one of the biggest leveraged buyouts in corporate history. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Additionally, the brokerage unveiled plans to allow users to trade crypto perpetual futures contracts in the Robinhood app, which offer leveraged exposure to cryptocurrencies without requiring traders to hold the underlying assets. — Tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026

Beyond attempting to smooth the industry’s many ruffled feathers, Hollywood’s newest mogul must now also wrestle down an astonishing $80 billion in debt accrued as a result of this highly leveraged merger. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1953, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing leveraged

• leveraged buyout