as in liberalism
a political belief stressing progress, the essential goodness of humankind, and individual freedom
a rising politician who is being hailed as the new voice of the left
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in abandoned
to cause to remain behind
you can leave your lunch in the refrigerator while we're outside starry-eyed lovers who promise never to leave one another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bequeathed
to give by means of a will
I'm going to leave all of my possessions to my children
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in quit
to give up (a job or office)
he left his job in the city and moved out into the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in handed
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another
why don't you leave your watch with me while you swim?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in dumped
to end a usually intimate relationship with
is there ever a good way to leave a lover?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in allowed
to give permission to
aw, leave him come
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of left
Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
The victims clockwise from top left, Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Harbison and Jennifer Harbison.
—CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Juniors Sebastian Zuzunaga and Kevin Carbajal both scored before Vazquez dove to his left to knock the shot attempt by senior Juan Gonzales wide, setting the stage for Iodice to seal the deal.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
And Jung has actually had three procedures, two on the right wrist and one on the left.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for left
Noun
Such cancellations are a blot on the escutcheon of the left as certainly as cancellations from the right, and the deference of any publisher to them a mark of rank cowardice.
—Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
The victims clockwise from top left, Amy Ayers, Eliza Thomas, Sarah Harbison and Jennifer Harbison.
—CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026
Juniors Sebastian Zuzunaga and Kevin Carbajal both scored before Vazquez dove to his left to knock the shot attempt by senior Juan Gonzales wide, setting the stage for Iodice to seal the deal.
—Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
And Jung has actually had three procedures, two on the right wrist and one on the left.
—Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for left
Recent Examples of Synonyms for left
Noun
-
During Vargas Llosa’s lifetime, his political beliefs underwent extreme changes, from supporting Castro’s revolutionary Communism to championing traditional European liberalism, which included an adamantine belief in unregulated markets.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The 1984 speech that so moved Baldwin remains one of the greatest articulations of American liberalism ever made.—
Adam Serwer,
The Atlantic,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As luck would have it, with late Saturday night’s matchup against the Knicks on the line, the Houston Rockets abandoned their winning formula.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
22 Feb. 2026
-
In one case, a vehicle taken from a motel and driven off in the owner’s SUV was later located abandoned near a river after drone surveillance narrowed the search area.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
When Greville died, the earrings were bequeathed to the Queen Mother, who then, along with her husband King George VI, gave Princess Elizabeth the pair of earrings for her wedding day.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
-
When Greville died, the earrings were part of an extraordinary collection of jewels that were bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.—
Stephanie Bridger-Linning,
Vanity Fair,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of figure skating, Alysa Liu of the United States, who quit the sport after the 2022 Beijing Olympics, reclaimed her career on her own joyous terms and won the gold medal in the women’s competition on Thursday at the Milan-Cortina Games.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
For those trips where winter refuses to quit, this cozy knit set is the answer.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Rarely is a player so young handed such an important role.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Her teammate, Breezy Johnson, the gold-medal winner of the downhill after Vonn’s crash, handed Shiffrin a lead going into the slalom portion of the event—a perfect opportunity.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
22 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
And, over the last few weeks, several meters of fresh snow have fallen across Europe, part of a weather pattern driven by an unusual southerly jet stream that has dumped huge amounts of precipitation across the continent, causing flooding in lower altitude areas.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The city was walloped by a major winter storm at the end of January, which dumped more than 10 inches of snow in Central Park and resulted in the cancellation of thousands of flights.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The report was based on data collected in recent days once weather conditions allowed responders to reach the mountain where nine people were killed in the deadly slide.—
Caelyn Pender,
Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Noah Whittaker allowed one run in three innings of relief to earn the win for Newport Harbor.—
Michael Huntley,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Peach growers throughout the Yuba-Sutter area and Central Valley are reckoning with the fallout from Del Monte’s bankruptcy, which stranded many growers with 20-year contracts for peaches totaling more than $550 million.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Rocker stranded a runner at third base to end the first inning.—
Shawn McFarland,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Left.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/left. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
