Leverage means using something you have to gain a greater advantage or accomplish more than you could without it. The word originally described how a lever works: a simple tool that lets you lift heavy objects by applying force at just the right spot. With a long enough lever and a place to rest it, you could lift a boulder you'd never budge with your bare hands.

In everyday situations, leverage means using whatever resources or advantages you have to achieve something bigger. A student might leverage her strong math skills to help organize a school fundraiser, using what she's good at to contribute in a powerful way. A negotiator might leverage information he has to reach a better agreement. An athlete might leverage her speed to compete with taller players.

In business and finance, people talk about leveraging investments or resources to create more value. A company might leverage its reputation to launch a new product, or an inventor might leverage an existing patent to develop something new.

The key idea is multiplication: you're using something strategically to create an effect larger than the thing itself. When you leverage your advantages wisely, you accomplish things that seemed out of reach.