lateral

American  

[lat-er-uhl] / ˈlæt ər əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the side; situated at, proceeding from, or directed to a side.

   a lateral view.

2. pertaining to or entailing a position, office, etc., that is different but equivalent or roughly equivalent in status, as distinguished from a promotion or demotion.

   a lateral move.

3. Phonetics. articulated so that the breath passes on either or both sides of the tongue, as l.

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noun

1. a lateral part or extension, as a branch or shoot.

2. Mining. a small drift off to the side of a principal one.

3. Phonetics. a lateral speech sound.

4. Football. lateral pass.

verb (used without object)

1. Football. to throw a lateral pass.

2. to move laterally or sideways.

   migrating birds lateraling down into Cape May.

verb (used with object)

1. Football. to throw (the ball) in a lateral pass.

lateral British  

/ ˈlætərəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the side or sides

   a lateral blow

2. phonetics (of a speech sound like l ) pronounced with the tip of the tongue touching the centre of the alveolar ridge, leaving space on one or both sides for the passage of the airstream

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noun

1. a lateral object, part, passage, or movement

2. phonetics a lateral speech sound

3. botany a branch, leaf, or bud that grows out from the side of a stem or trunk

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pseudolateral
  adjective
• laterally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lateral

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin laterālis “of the side,” equivalent to later- (stem of latus ) “side” + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

When something is extending to the side or moving to the side, it’s lateral. "All of the lateral movement in tennis hurt her knees and she had to quit playing." The adjective lateral comes from the Latin word lateralis, which means “belonging to the side” and the modern meaning is basically the same. In anatomy, views of the body from the left, as well as from the right are referred to as lateral. You can make a lateral career move, if the compensation and level of responsibility stay about the same (instead of moving up, you are moving to the side). A lateral pass in football is one that goes to the side or behind the passer, instead of directly towards the goal.

Example Sentences

ALS — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — is a neurological disorder that destroys motor neurons.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

"The lateral view of the soldier's frontal prominence and elongated head resembles the head of a sperm whale, and in both organisms, the mandibles are eclipsed by the head," he said.

From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026

"It has a large lateral breach and is not a very stable vessel at the moment, even if it is not showing any imminent signs of sinking."

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Mur said it could take 18 months to develop the lateral flow prototypes, then between three to five years to further test them for accuracy.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

There was so little known about lateral blasts that the damage was far worse than anyone had anticipated.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone