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 capitalized : of, adhering to, or constituted by the left especially in politics
this left government with a cabinet of moderate liberalsF. A. Magruder
left adverb

left

2 of 3

noun

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
often capitalized
a
: the part of a legislative chamber located to the left of the presiding officer
b
: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the left as a result of holding more radical political views than other members
4
often capitalized
a
: those professing views usually characterized by desire to reform or overthrow the established order especially in politics and usually advocating change in the name of the greater freedom or well-being of the common man
b
: a radical as distinguished from a conservative position
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
This spring 2024 Diesel look (above, left) is made from cotton jersey bonded to polyester tulle. Jessica Testa, New York Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Police in the affidavit said Fulk matched the description of the suspect seen on the bar’s surveillance footage, specifically, a tattoo on his left temple. Sarah Nelson, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Mar. 2024 Remove the Pac-12, WCC and Mountain West from the calculation, and there’s nothing left. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Strain, wearing a 2-tone shirt, is seen in this video crossing 1st Ave N to Gay St (right to left), at 9:47 p.m. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Boise rallied to tie it with 4 minutes left, then Quezada hit a jumper to make it 65-63 with 3:26 left. Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 What the video does not clearly show, according to his attorneys, is that at the time the officer entered the apartment, Jay was talking on the phone, holding his device in his left hand. Katie Mettler, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Many French leftists dislike Roussel precisely for this reason, arguing that his politics are more a matter of making friends than of fighting for left-wing ideas. Elisabeth Zerofsky, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Steven Spielberg kissed his wife and embraced his mother before his left hand floated to his temple in disbelief. Brent Lang, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
In a photo shared to Instagram at the time, Farrah could be seen holding a beverage in her right hand while her left was hidden from view. Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Do the two of you intend to keep making these big left turns in the future? Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 The challenge for Biden in this conflict has been understood as one of balance, of not tipping too far either toward the pro-Israeli center or toward the pro-Palestinian left, and thus alienating the other. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 Raman’s progress on her reelection bid took place on the same day that Ysabel Jurado, another candidate backed by the city’s political left, pulled into first place in her race against Councilmember Kevin de León. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Roosevelt leads 59-56 with 4:25 left and this place is electric. Parker Gabriel, The Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2024 Minutes later, two buses traversed the video frame from left to right. Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 8 Mar. 2024 The two adults and two children inside the house were hospitalized, but miraculously survived and recovered despite the eruption leaving little left of the structure. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Jacob Meisner is holding the black handgun in his right hand and flashing a thumbs-up with his left. Robert Anglen, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024

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

13th 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 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near left

Cite this Entry

“Left.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/left. Accessed 28 Mar. 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

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