left wing

noun

plural left wings
1
: the leftist division of a group (such as a political party) : the segment of a group (such as a political party) that calls for greater adherence to liberalism (see liberalism sense 2a) or progressivism (see progressivism sense 1)
the left wing of the Democratic Party
2
: political parties and individuals who support or promote political liberalism or progressivism
sometimes, specifically : such parties and individuals who are deeply opposed to capitalism
left-wing adjective
left-wing politics
left-winger noun
plural left-wingers
the party's left-wingers

Examples of left wing in a Sentence

His nomination is supported by the party's left wing but opposed by the right wing. the left wing has lost considerable influence in the party, which is now aggressively courting political moderates
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Howard is a pure goal scorer and a welcome addition to the Oilers’ depth chart at left wing. Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 9 July 2025 The 17-year-old left wing, who is widely believed to be the front-runner to be selected first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, is coming off a 129-point regular season with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers. Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025 This seems foolhardy and seems misguided, mainly because there is a perception among a handful of people that this is somehow a blue or a left wing thing when this is the place that for 32 years gave William F. Buckley a show. CBS News, 6 July 2025 Captain Reece James opened the scoring in the 64th minute with a brilliant free kick from the left wing — a low, curling strike that slipped inside the near post past Trubin, who left just enough of a window exposed. Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 29 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for left wing

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of left wing was in 1844

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Cite this Entry

“Left wing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/left%20wing. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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