lateral

adjective lat·er·al \ ˈla-tə-rəl also ˈla-trəl \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of lateral

1 : of or relating to the side

a lateral view

2 : situated on, directed toward, or coming from the side

the lateral branches of a tree

3 : extending from side to side

the lateral axis of an airplane

4 phonetics : produced with passage of breath around the side of a constriction formed with the tongue

\l\ is lateral

—

laterally

adverb

See lateral defined for English-language learners

See lateral defined for kids

Examples of lateral in a Sentence

the lateral force of an earthquake
from the lateral view you can see how thick the wall really is

Recent Examples of lateral from the Web

Steph’s game depends on insanely quick lateral movement and ballhandling.

— al saracevic, San Francisco Chronicle, "Can the Warriors win without Steph Curry?," 12 Apr. 2018
Sharp, tight turns and crisp, direct passes are crucial when players' lateral movement and shot angles are restricted by chairs.

— danielle lerner, The Courier-Journal, "Underdog or not, Louisville's wheelchair basketball team finds sanctuary in sport," 10 Apr. 2018
Nowitzki’s lateral movement, especially on defense, has been affected throughout the season by what the team has called a left ankle impingement.

— marc stein, New York Times, "Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki Has Season-Ending Ankle Surgery," 5 Apr. 2018
The Reds announced that Finnegan had left lateral forearm spasms.

— john fay, Cincinnati.com, "Reds 6, Mariners 5," 11 Mar. 2018
Atlantic Resolve's aim is to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the security of NATO allies and partners, conducting bi-lateral training and multinational exercises in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

— kim hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, "U.S. soldier found dead near German train station," 6 Feb. 2018
Most hamstrings injuries can be treated with RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) and doctors will likely clear the player once the pain has subsided and strength is >90% of the contra-lateral side.

— SI.com, "Injury Analysis: Everything You Need to Know About Dybala’s Hamstring Injury in 1 Minute," 7 Jan. 2018
But changing a multi-lateral international agreement takes time, and this ultimatum leaves U.S., European, Russian, and Chinese diplomats little of that.

— eric cortellessa, The New Republic, "Will Trump Be the President Who Gives Iran the Bomb?," 24 Mar. 2018
Dallara claims the Stradale develops up to 2.00 g’s of lateral acceleration.

— mike duff, Car and Driver, "Dallara Stradale: A Racing Legend Hits the Road," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lateral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Lateral shows up in all kinds of contexts. A lateral job change is one that keeps you at about the same job level and salary. A coach might have special drills to improve his players' lateral speed and agility. The British speak of "lateral thinking", thinking that grabs ideas that may not seem to be relevant but turn out to work well—what we might call "thinking outside the box". But we know lateral best from football. A lateral pass is a pass of the ball between teammates that usually goes to the side and slightly backward from the direction in which they're advancing; unlike a forward pass, a lateral may be made from any position, and any number may be made in a single play.

Origin and Etymology of lateral

Middle English laterale, from Latin lateralis, from later-, latus side

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

lateral Synonyms

Synonyms

side;

Related Words

left, right;

one-sided;

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

lateral

noun

Definition of lateral

1 : a branch from the main part (as in an irrigation or electrical system)

2 : a pass in football thrown parallel to the line of scrimmage or in a direction away from the opponent's goal

3 : a lateral speech sound

See lateral defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of lateral from the Web

Sometimes laterals are significantly smaller than the centrals; sometimes the difference is more subtle.

— julie mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "No, Nick Jonas Does Not Have 3 Front Teeth: The Singer and a Dentist Weigh In," 14 Mar. 2018
The Aztecs made multiple laterals on the game's final play from their 40.

— chicagotribune.com, "2-point gamble, late TD help Army beat San Diego State 42-35 in Armed Forces Bowl," 24 Dec. 2017
Modern oil wells are being drilled deeper with much longer horizontal laterals.

— jordan blum, Houston Chronicle, "Layne Christensen partners with Texas to drill water wells for oil production," 2 Nov. 2017
Milwaukee will spend the one-time payment on costs of replacing lead pipes, known as laterals, that convey water from city mains to private homes, Barrett said.

— don behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee wrestles Waukesha water deal away from Oak Creek," 30 Oct. 2017
Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston scored a touchdown with no time remaining after the Redskins fumbled after a series of laterals on the final play.

— lindsay h. jones, USA TODAY, "Late scoring flurry allows Chiefs to stay unbeaten by beating Redskins 29-20," 2 Oct. 2017
Those will include leaking pipes and laterals that are connected to water mains.

— mary spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Six Milwaukee fire stations set to close under Mayor Tom Barrett's 2018 budget," 26 Sep. 2017
Milwaukee faces the daunting task of coming up with plans to replace lead laterals at some 70,000 residential properties.

— mary spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Nearly 30 water sources at Milwaukee charter schools have 'significantly elevated lead levels'," 29 Aug. 2017
The middle leaflet is larger than the two laterals.

— NOLA.com, "7 scary-looking garden creatures that actually are harmless," 3 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of lateral

see ¹lateral

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1578

See Words from the same year

Other Field and Goal Sports Terms

crease, lax, overthrow, playbook, post, screen, scrum, secondary, ultimate

lateral

verb

Definition of lateral

intransitive verb

: to throw a lateral

Recent Examples of lateral from the Web

Hayward pitched the ball off to Miami’s Reshad Jones, who then lateraled it to Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey for a return of 23 yards.

— j.c. carnahan, OrlandoSentinel.com, "AFC prevails in Pro Bowl on Delanie Walker's late TD catch," 29 Jan. 2018
Wilson tossed the ball to the running back J.D. McKissic, who then lateraled the ball back across the field to Wilson, who launched a 38-yard pass down the field.

— tim rohan, SI.com, "Seahawks Find Their Groove in Second Half and Take Down Giants 24–7," 22 Oct. 2017
Quarterback Jared Goff completed a short pass to receiver Pharoh Cooper, who lateraled the ball to Tavon Austin.

— gary klein, latimes.com, "Eagles 14, Rams 7: Carson Wentz throws 20-yard touchdown pass to Trey Burton," 10 Dec. 2017
The Chiefs won the toss and promptly threatened again when lineman Buck Buchanan lateraled Yepremian's short kick to Podolak, who returned to his 46.

— by bob rubin, miamiherald, "When Christmas dinner was delayed as the Miami Dolphins played on and on," 19 Dec. 2016
The Skins threw a screen pass and started desperately lateraling the ball all over the field.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "A Meaningless Chiefs Touchdown Screwed Gamblers in Two Ways," 3 Oct. 2017
Cozart lateraled to Wilson, then slipped past his right tackle and right up the middle for a wide-open catch.

— dave southorn and rachel roberts, idahostatesman, "Boise State quarterbacks Rypien, Cozart catch passes | Idaho Statesman," 4 Nov. 2017
Jason King caught Taylor’s pass 10 yards downfield, was hit by a couple of defenders, then lateraled to a hustling Swen.

— mark zeske, star-telegram, "Eaton’s running back puts on a show against Saginaw," 3 Nov. 2017
Slot back Darryl Bonner took a direct snap and lateraled to Malcolm Perry, who threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to quarterback Zach Abey with 6:05 left in the third quarter.

— marc narducci, Philly.com, "Temple outlasts Navy as Frank Nutile throws 4 touchdown passes," 2 Nov. 2017

Origin and Etymology of lateral

see ¹lateral

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1930

See Words from the same year

LATERAL Defined for English Language Learners

lateral

adjective

Definition of lateral for English Language Learners

: toward, on, or coming from the side

lateral

noun

Definition of lateral for English Language Learners

American football : a pass thrown to the side or backward

LATERAL Defined for Kids

lateral

adjective lat·er·al \ ˈla-tə-rəl \

Definition of lateral for Students

: being on or directed toward the side

lateral movement

—

laterally

adverb

Medical Dictionary

lateral

adjective lat·er·al \ ˈlat-ə-rəl, ˈla-trəl \

medical Definition of lateral

: of or relating to the side; especially, of a body part : lying at or extending toward the right or left side : lying away from the median axis of the body