left

1 of 3

adjective

1
a
: of, relating to, situated on, or being the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located
her left leg
b
: done with the left hand
a left hook to the jaw
c
: located nearer to the left hand than to the right
a man's left chest
d(1)
: located on the left of an observer facing in the same direction as the object specified
stage left
the left arm of a chair
(2)
: located on the left when facing downstream
the left bank of a river
2
often Left : of, adhering to, or constituted by the Left (see left entry 2 sense 3a) in politics
… they justify what at the moment is possibly the least Left policy imaginable—lower tax rates for top earners.William Watson
… have written an open letter … calling for renewed talks to form a left government.Aoife Moore
left adverb

left

2 of 3

noun

plural lefts
1
a
: the left hand
b
: the location or direction of the left side
c
: the part on the left side
d
: a turn to the left
take a left at the intersection
2
b
: a blow struck with the left fist
3
a
Left : political parties and individuals who support or promote liberalism (see liberalism sense 2a) or progressivism
usually used with the
policies opposed by the Left
b
: the political position of those who support the beliefs and policies of the Left
the country's shift to the left
c
often Left : the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the section of the legislative chamber to the left of the presiding officer as a result of holding more liberal political views than other members
also, usually left : the section of the chamber they occupy
leftmost adjective

left

3 of 3

past tense and past participle of leave

Examples of left in a Sentence

Adjective He felt a pain in his left side. He hit him with a left hook to the jaw. the left side of the street Noun We read from left to right. You'll take two lefts and then a right. He hit him with two quick lefts to the stomach followed by a right to the jaw.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
On the red carpet, Kim’s left breast was almost entirely revealed by an asymmetrical cut — a mirror image of Jenner’s neckline — save for a matching purple nipple pasty. Leah Dolan, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024 With Carvajal out, Lucas Vazquez takes his place while Ferland Mendy is the left back coming in for Fran Garcia as the defense unitedly tries to protect Thibaut Courtois' goal. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 24 Sep. 2024
Noun
The pendulum apparently is swinging back from left to center on crime and incarceration. George Skelton, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024 Kelsey Plum gave the Aces the lead with 7:08 left, and the team never looked back, outscoring Seattle 14-2. Jamie Barton, CNN, 23 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for left 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'left.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Noun

Middle English, from Old English, weak; akin to Middle Low German lucht left; from the left hand's being the weaker in most individuals

First Known Use

Adjective

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of left was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near left

Cite this Entry

“Left.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/left. Accessed 9 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

left

1 of 3 adjective
1
: of, relating to, or being the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located
the left leg
2
: located nearer to the left side of the body than to the right
the left arm of a chair
left adverb

left

2 of 3 noun
1
: the left side or the part on the left side
2
: the members of a European legislative body sitting to the left of the presiding officer and holding more radical views than other members
3
capitalized : political liberals or radicals
also : their beliefs

left

3 of 3

past and past participle of leave

Medical Definition

left

adjective
: of, relating to, or being the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located
also : located nearer to this side than to the right

More from Merriam-Webster on left

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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