leftover

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noun left·over \ ˈleft-ˌō-vər \

Definition of leftover

1 :something that remains unused or unconsumed; especially :leftover food served at a later meal —usually used in plural

2 :an anachronistic survival :vestige

See leftover defined for English-language learners

See leftover defined for kids

Examples of leftover in a Sentence

Are we having leftovers again?
The law is a leftover from earlier times.

Recent Examples of leftover from the Web

This means it can be directly applied to the samples that have to be tested; for example, it could be added to makeup packaging or dabbed onto leftover food.

— giorgia guglielmi, Science | AAAS, "Smart labels could tell you when to toss food and makeup, as this video shows," 21 Aug. 2017
Meanwhile, old G.M. — officially called Motors Liquidation Company — had the task of selling off factories and other leftover assets to compensate legions of creditors.

— bill vlasic and neal e. boudette, New York Times, "Shell of Old G.M. Surfaces in Court Fight Over Ignition Flaw," 17 Aug. 2017
Spectators were invited to grab any leftover produce at the end of the challenge.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "First chef's challenge a hit at Harford Farm Fair," 26 July 2017
Bits and bobs are the little leftovers and left-asides from project and collections.

— taylor m. riley, The Courier-Journal, "Here's what to do on a summer weekend in Southern Indiana," 5 July 2017
Well, according to a post on Kendall's app, Kenny's makeup artist Mary Phillips recommends rubbing that leftover serum onto your neck and chest to share the anti-aging wealth all over your body.

— brooke shunatona, Cosmopolitan, "Kendall Jenner's Hack for Rubbing Eye Masks on Her Chest Is Actually Genius," 29 June 2017
Tips + Tricks: **For a firmer yolk, cook the eggs up to 12 minutes in the hot boiling water. **Save leftover romesco to use as a veggie-dipper, sandwich-topper and pasta sauce throughout the week.

— cooking with caitlin, Cincinnati.com, "Cooking with Caitlin: A gourmet twist on your deviled eggs," 29 June 2017
The leftover properties from May will be online once again from July 21 to 26.

— joshua stewart, sandiegouniontribune.com, "After setting sales records in May, county to hold second tax sale auction," 26 June 2017
More than just leftovers, asteroids offer clues to the earliest days of our solar system, as well as the promise of valuable minerals and precious resources.

— nathaniel scharping, Discover Magazine, "Everything Worth Knowing About ... Asteroids," 26 June 2017

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

First Known Use of leftover

1866

leftover Synonyms

Synonyms

end, fag end, ¹scrap, oddment, remainder, remnant, stub

Related Words

leavings, odds and ends, pickings, refuse, remains, residual, residue, scraping (s), stump, vestige; balance, rest; chip, flake, fragment, piece, sliver, splinter; ribbon (s), shred, tatter

Near Antonyms

whole

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

leftover

adjective

Definition of leftover

:not consumed or used

leftover food

leftover space

Recent Examples of leftover from the Web

Several County Line Ice House menu items are designed to curb waste: The brisket trim can be ground into a jalapeno and cheddar sausage while leftover burnt ends and pork shoulder will be refashioned into barbacoa and carnitas tacos.

— jill wendholt silva, kansascity, "Not your average Joe: Meet the man behind Joe’s Kansas City barbecue, Jeff Stehney," 30 Aug. 2017
The consultant also recommended lawmakers increase the normal retirement age to 65 for teachers and to discontinue allowing teachers to use leftover sick days to boost their retirement benefits.

— tom loftus, The Courier-Journal, "Bevin consultant proposes cutting retirees' pensions, moving state workers to 401(k) plans," 28 Aug. 2017
NFL teams routinely shed millions of nonguaranteed dollars by releasing veterans, often replacing them with younger (and cheaper) labor and incurring a leftover cap charge.

— andrew brandt, SI.com, "Roger Goodell Maintains Status as 'Conduct Commissioner' with Ezekiel Elliott's Suspension," 23 Aug. 2017
Pugh said leftover materials — if there are any — will be distributed at community centers throughout the city.

— michael brice-saddler, baltimoresun.com, "Hundreds of children get free supplies at city's annual back-to-school rally," 5 Aug. 2017
Comparison loan-shopping site MagnifyMoney looked at the cost of living in 381 U.S. metropolitan areas to see where a $100,000 income for a family of three would leave the household with the most leftover cash.

— nicolas rapp, Fortune, "These Are the Best (and Worst) Cities to Live in on a $100,000 Salary," 27 July 2017
Comments on the cantina’s Facebook post include several people planning to visit with leftover currency from Mexican vacations.

— don sweeney, sacbee, "Got some pesos laying around? This eatery will take them as payment.," 26 July 2017
The distillers at Misadventure Vodka in San Marcos repurpose leftover bread from the SD Food Bank and turn it into their unique vodka.

— teri figueroa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Marcos company hits on spirited idea: Have cake and drink it too," 18 July 2017
During the last three or four days in the grow room, cultivators flush the plants with water to purge leftover nutrients.

— brooke edwards staggs, The Cannifornian, "A flower’s tale: How legal weed goes from seed to sale," 11 June 2017

First Known Use of leftover

1864

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

LEFTOVER Defined for English Language Learners

leftover

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noun

Definition of leftover for English Language Learners

leftovers : food that has not been finished at a meal and that is often served at another meal
: a thing that remains after something is finished or ended