left 1 of 2

Definition of leftnext
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

left

2 of 2

verb

past tense of leave
1
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
5
6

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
Noun
To his left the Feather arrives from the Sierra in lighter hues of blue. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026 Dahlia Rico, understood as a top versus bottom, not a left versus right candidate. — ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026 Rahtz is on the left, and Farmer is on the right with their pug, Doyle. — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 19 Sep. 2026 The right-footed punter rolled toward his left before trying to send the ball toward the sideline. — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for left
Recent Examples of Synonyms for left
Noun
  • This switching of places is especially true of Islam seen as an alien but also more virile force than Western liberalism, one whose power thus needs to be countered by its own weapons of solidarity and domination.
    — Faisal Devji, Time, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The following year she was elected to the Italian parliament for the maverick Radical Party, a bastion of anticlericalism, civil libertarianism, feminism, liberalism and radicalism in Italy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Department of Financial Services periodically holds unclaimed property auctions, where abandoned safe deposit box contents are auctioned by the Division of Unclaimed Property, the state said.
    — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
  • One of those vehicles was found abandoned and engulfed in flames near Detroit Avenue.
    — Dan Raby, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • More than a century after a rare painting, recently attributed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was bequeathed to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in 1920, the painting, Portrait of an Old Man, will go on display on December 2, per reports.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Youthful ambition bequeathed them unpredictably shifting time signatures, a daunting nylon-string intro, some odd musical shifts during the guitar-solo section, and a long list of other complexities.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Since Macklemore’s firing, all of Sheeran’s openers have quit the tour.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Sheeran’s supporting acts and his backing band quit the tour in solidarity with Macklemore.
    — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • When we were done, the mother handed me a tip and smiled apologetically before getting into her car.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Inside Judge Thomas Ayze’s courtroom, staffers handed documents to immigrants in a room filled with nearly two dozen people.
    — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Separately, police said another woman was found dead on Sunday in Soweto, south of Johannesburg, her body wrapped in a duvet and dumped near a dam.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
  • Eventually, the firms dumped the valuable slag into waste piles and wrote off the metals inside.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • This time at the Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations for a check-in to determine, again, whether he would be allowed to pursue a case or be forced to leave the country.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, 243 of the only 279 yards the defense allowed came through the air, including seven passing plays of at least 15 yards.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Royals left the tying run stranded on second base as Pirates closer Mason Montgomery retired Salvador Perez, Maikel Garcia and Loftin to end a late threat.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2026
  • At one crossing with Turkey, 3,700 trucks were stranded on the Iranian side.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Left.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/left. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster