1
as in remainder
an unused or unwanted piece or item typically of small size or value
that doormat is just a leftover from when the new carpet was installed
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rest
leftovers plural
a remaining group or portion
take as many of these calendars as you want, and put the leftovers back on the shelf
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in residual
still existing or present after other parts are used or removed
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover rice.
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of leftover
CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
At the end of lunch, the entire crew scoops their leftover food into a compost bin, and then neatly stacks their containers on top of each others.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
ProPublica, 3 Oct. 2025
One of the most noxious of former President Joe Biden’s leftover regulatory rules applies to partnerships — an increasingly common form of business organization and expansion.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leftover
Noun
And the money leftover is going to the United States of America, and the oil companies are going to be very happy.
—CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
At the end of lunch, the entire crew scoops their leftover food into a compost bin, and then neatly stacks their containers on top of each others.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Grocery stores and food manufacturers, which started managing their inventories more efficiently during the pandemic, now have less leftover food to give.
—ProPublica, 3 Oct. 2025
One of the most noxious of former President Joe Biden’s leftover regulatory rules applies to partnerships — an increasingly common form of business organization and expansion.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for leftover
Recent Examples of Synonyms for leftover
Noun
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The offer also will work for any of the three Thanksgiving NFL games and remainder of the Week 13 slate.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Nov. 2025
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See list for remainder of 2025, start of 2026 Remaining full moons in 2025 Thursday, Dec. 4: Cold Moon John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Plant dormancy is a type of physiological rest.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
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On Thursday, tight end Hunter Henry (rest), right tackle (Morgan Moses (illness) and linebacker Robert Spillane (ankle) were all upgraded to full participation.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The team examined atomic spacing within the alloy, using HIDRA diffraction data to find how residual stresses distort the material’s crystallographic planes.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
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Back then, Lionsgate was also rumored to be a potential acquirer but instead, in 2023, the two inked a library sale, with STX retaining most of the residual rights to remakes and sequels, and a marketing and distribution pact for STX theatrical releases in North America.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Built in 1953 from scrap lumber, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In remains the town’s most iconic food stop, known for its cheeky signage and nostalgic burgers and milkshakes.—
Daria Bachmann,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
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In fact, dropping one aimless and often hard to hear scrap of trivia after another as winners walked to the stage, Frazier and Malkin proved a distraction at best.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The higher, remaining doses of the pill will be available to patients by the end of the week, Novo Nordisk said.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
5 Jan. 2026
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Chevron is the last remaining American oil company in the country – operating on and off over the past decade as US sanctions and a series of waivers allowed the company to maintain some operations there.—
Elisabeth Buchwald,
CNN Money,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This stellar remnant is a white dwarf, the exhausted stellar core left over when a star around the same mass as the sun runs out of the fuel for nuclear fusion and sheds its outer layers.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Inside, the last clusters of conversation continued over champagne and the remnants of that improbable charcuterie spread.—
Rachel Marlowe,
Vanity Fair,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Leftover.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/leftover. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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