French word

adosser

Pronunciation

IPA/adose/

Meaning

  • verblean against ___

Example

Il s'est adossé au mur.

He leaned against the wall.

Illustration for adosser (lean against ___)

More examples

Elle s'est adossée au bar.

She leaned against the bar.

Core concept

A back pressed against a supporting surface.

Common phrases

  • s'adosser au mur

    lean against the wall

  • s'adosser contre le comptoir

    lean against the counter

Similar words

s'appuyer: To gain support by resting part of the body against something.
se pencher: To tilt the body forward or sideways to change position.

Definition in French

Placer quelque chose de dos contre autre chose; par forme pronominale, poser son dos contre un support pour s'appuyer.

Word origin

Adosser developed from French à and dos, while dos comes from Latin dorsum, so the word first described placing a back against something.

Usage tips

  • The transitive pattern is adosser X à Y, while a person leaning against support uses s'adosser à Y.

Other meanings

  • prop against ___verb

Opposites

  • se redresserstraighten upverb
  • se détacherpull awayverb

Related words

  • adosséleaning againstadjective
  • adossementleaningnoun

Word lists with this word