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
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 During the struggle, the gun went off and the 34-year-old victim was shot in his left leg. Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Mar. 2024 And then when the Uber comes, the Uber is going to take Hae Sung and is going to drive him into the past, which is from right to left. EW.com, 24 Feb. 2024 Police said Elijah also has a birthmark on his left knee. Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 While dribbling nostalgic about the old days, Niebla tore the ACL in his left knee. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2024 Craig Ricketts was shot twice, once in his arm and once in his left leg, near Oquitoa, Sonora, a town just outside of Altar, Sonora, according to reporting from Arizona’s Family, the outlet that first reported the shooting in the Phoenix market. The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
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 And then there was the sunlight moving over the river to my left. Devin Kelly, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024 Chapman dove to his left, coming up empty, but Ahmed picked the ball ranging to his right, forcing Rojas to remain at third. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 To your left, an engine hums and a man’s face is lit from the glow of his phone as he doom-scrolls in the driver’s seat until his order is up. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 Emory Williams was at practice after fracturing his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the FSU game in No ember. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 In midfield, Toni Kroos and Eduardo Camavinga partner up centrally with Bellingham to their left and Ernesto Valverde to the right. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Bronwyn and Slater stood by each other on the right of their mom, while Vance reached an arm around Bassett and posed on her left. Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Once that’s done, select the profile icon on the top left of the page. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 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 19 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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