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• left wing
  left wing

  noun

  members of a liberal or radical political party, or those favoring extensive political reform.
• left-wing
  left-wing

  A descriptive term for liberal, radical, or revolutionary political views, particularly the view that there are unacceptable social inequalities in the present order of society. Communists and socialists, as well as moderate liberals, come under the term left-wing. Left-wing groups are sometimes known collectively as the Left. (Compare right-wing.)

left wing

American  

noun

• left wings
  plural

1. members of a liberal or radical political party, or those favoring extensive political reform.

2. such a party or a group of such parties.

3. the part of a political or social organization advocating a liberal or radical position.

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left wing British  

noun

1. (often capital) the leftist faction of an assembly, party, group, etc; the radical or progressive wing

2. the units of an army situated on the left of a battle position

3. sport

   1. the left-hand side of the field of play from the point of view of either team facing its opponents' goal

   2. a player positioned in this area in certain games

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adjective

1. of, belonging to, or relating to the political left wing

left-wing ¹ Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for liberal, radical, or revolutionary political views, particularly the view that there are unacceptable social inequalities in the present order of society. Communists and socialists, as well as moderate liberals, come under the term left-wing. Left-wing groups are sometimes known collectively as the Left. (Compare right-wing.)

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left-wing ² Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for an individual or a political faction that advocates liberal, radical, or even revolutionary policies, usually in favor of overcoming social inequalities. In the United States, left-wing groups generally support federal social welfare programs designed to open opportunities to all citizens. (Compare right-wing.)

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left wing Idioms  

1. The liberal or radical faction of a political group, as in Many consider him a leader of the Democratic Party's left wing. This expression originated in the seating practice of European legislatures, whereby those holding liberal views were assigned to the left side of the house. [First half of 1800s]

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Discover More

Although both major political parties in the United States have left-wing factions, left-wing policies are usually associated with the Democratic party.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• left-winger
  noun
• left-wing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• left wings
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of left wing

First recorded in 1700–10

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Compare meaning

How does left-wing compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• left wing vs. right wing

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

left wing left-wing

Three minutes from time, Canada mounted an attack from halfway after a fumble put Harrison's clearing kick under pressure, and replacement Seumanutafa charged down the left wing to complete the comeback.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Delta Air Lines Flight 7 was taxiing for departure when its left wing clipped Air Canada Flight 785’s horizontal stabilizer at around 10:30 a.m.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Left-back Andy Robertson is instead positioned on the left wing with winger Omar Marmoush inverting into an attacking midfield position.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Barcola is right footed but prefers to play on the left wing and his likely arrival adds further doubt around Cody Gakpo's future at Anfield.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

She pointed over the left wing, where a glimmering sliver of golden-orange land appeared.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

It’s true that the ad didn’t come from El-Sayed’s campaign; a left-wing commentator named Cenk Uygur, who happens to be Piker’s uncle, posted it online.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

Antonio Villaraigosa, the former mayor of Los Angeles, met Bass in the 1970s, when both were left-wing community organizers participating in the Coalition Against Police Abuse.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026

The leaking of the audio recordings has been criticised by some Spanish politicians, with Alberto Ibáñez, a member of Congress for the left-wing Sumar platform, writing on X that they were "despicable".

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

It’s a pathway in part inspired by New York City, where Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s outsider campaign was an inspiration for one of Europe’s most left-wing leaders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

It convened in the summer of 1934 with left-wing writers attending from all states.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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Related Words

• leftist
• liberal

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