leftover

1 of 2

noun

left·​over ˈleft-ˌō-vər 

1

: something that remains unused or unconsumed

especially : leftover food served at a later meal

—usually used in plural

2

: an anachronistic survival : vestige

leftover

2 of 2

adjective

: not consumed or used

leftover food

leftover space

Synonyms

Noun

• remainder
• scrap
• remnant

Examples of leftover in a Sentence

Noun

Are we having leftovers again?

The law is a leftover from earlier times.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For the past few decades, rice farmers have taken to flooding their fields after harvest, rather than burning the leftover scraps and rice straw. —Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Use any leftover wallpaper to line them, eliminating waste and gaining major style points in the meantime. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025

Adjective

Don't burn leftover food or trash on the grill. —AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2025

Lunch is leftover tofu and rice from our taco bar — still very tasty! —R29 Team, Refinery29, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for leftover

• carryover
• changeover
• crossover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover
• pullover

Kids Definition

leftover

noun

left·​over

ˈlef-ˌtō-vər

: something remaining

especially : food left over from one meal and served at another

—usually used in plural

leftover adjective