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Leverage is a word generally used to refer to the amount of control someone has over something. For example, if you were trying to lift a heavy box, you would find it easier to lift the box if you could use your hands rather than just your fingernails or fingers. Leverage is defined as being able to use something to its maximum advantage, but in the context of physics, it takes on the meaning of using a lever to exert force on an object. Another example is one involving a crowbar. A crowbar gives a person enough leverage to lift one end of a box, or pry open a box or door. Without a crowbar, lifting a box that has a very large lass would be impossible. It is a matter of how much leverage you have on/over an object that defines the ability to manipulate and handle the object.