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  • l
    l
    abbreviation
  • L
    L
    noun
    the 12th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.
  • l-
    l-
    (of a molecule) having a configuration resembling the levorotatory isomer of glyceraldehyde: printed as a small capital, roman character (distinguished from D-).
  • L-
    L-
    abbreviation
    levo-.
  • l.
    l.
    abbreviation
    large.
  • L.
    L.
    abbreviation
    book.

l

1 American  

abbreviation

  1. large.

  2. liter; liters.


L 2 American  
[el] / ɛl /
Or l

noun

  • L's,
    plural
  • Ls,
    plural
  • l's,
    plural
  • ls
    plural
  1. the 12th letter of the English alphabet, a consonant.

  2. any spoken sound represented by the letter L or l, as in let, dull, cradle.

  3. something having the shape of an L .

  4. a written or printed representation of the letter L or l.

  5. a device, as a printer's type, for reproducing the letter L or l.


L 3 American  
[el] / ɛl /

noun

Informal.
  • L's,
    plural
  • Ls
    plural
  1. an elevated railroad.


L 4 American  
[el] / ɛl /

noun

  • L's,
    plural
  • Ls
    plural
  1. ell.


L 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. British. pound; pounds.


L 6 American  

abbreviation

  1. Optics. lambert; lamberts.

  2. language.

  3. large.

  4. Latin.

  5. left.

  6. length.

  7. long: denoting a size longer than regular, especially for suits and coats made for tall men.

    40L.

  8. longitude.

  9. Theater. stage left.

  10. Economics. a broad measure of total U.S. liquid assets, issued periodically by the Federal Reserve Board.


L 7 American  
Symbol.
  1. the 12th in order or in a series.

  2. (sometimes lowercase) the Roman numeral for 50.

  3. Electricity. inductance.

  4. Physics. kinetic potential.

  5. Biochemistry. leucine.


l- 8 American  
Symbol, Biochemistry.
  1. (of a molecule) having a configuration resembling the levorotatory isomer of glyceraldehyde: printed as a small capital, roman character (distinguished from D-).


l- 9 American  
Symbol, Optics, Chemistry, Biochemistry.
  1. levorotatory; levo- (distinguished from d-).


L- 10 American  

abbreviation

  1. Chemistry. levo-.

  2. U.S. Military. (in designations of light aircraft) liaison.

    L-15.


l. 11 American  

abbreviation

  • ll.
    plural
  1. large.

  2. latitude.

  3. law.

  4. leaf.

  5. league.

  6. left.

  7. length.

  8. line.

  9. link.

  10. (in Italy) lira; lire.

  11. liter; liters.

  12. long.


L. 12 American  

abbreviation

  1. book.


L. 13 American  

abbreviation

  1. place.


L. 14 American  

abbreviation

  1. Lady.

  2. Lake.

  3. large.

  4. Latin.

  5. latitude.

  6. law.

  7. left.

  8. lempira; lempiras.

  9. leu; lei.

  10. lev; leva.

  11. Liberal.

  12. (in Italy) lira; lire.

  13. Lord.

  14. Low.

  15. lumen.

  16. Theater. stage left.


L. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. lake

  2. left

  3. length

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

l 2 British  

symbol

  1. litre

  2. physics lepton number

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

l 3 British  
/ ɛl /

noun

  1. the 12th letter and ninth consonant of the modern English alphabet

  2. a speech sound represented by this letter, usually a lateral, as in label

    1. something shaped like an L

    2. ( in combination )

      an L-shaped room

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

L 4 British  

symbol

  1. ell (unit)

  2. lambert(s)

  3. large

  4. Latin

  5. (on British motor vehicles) learner driver

  6. physics length

  7. live

  8. currency

    1. Usually written: £.  pound

    2. lempira

    3. lek

    4. leu

    5. lire

  9. aeronautics lift

  10. electronics inductor (in circuit diagrams)

  11. physics latent heat

  12. physics self-inductance

  13. chem the Avogadro constant

  14. 50 See Roman numerals

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

abbreviation

  1. Luxembourg (international car registration)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
l Scientific  
  1. Abbreviation of length, liter


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of L5

From the Latin word lībra

Origin of L.12

From the Latin word liber

Origin of L.13

From the Latin word locus

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

After endless reports of government deals, shortages, and capacity additions, investors can get back to some fundamento l data on Thursday afternoon.

From Barron's Feb. 26, 2026

“I felt as if l was this huge disappointment to both of them,” she told Vogue.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 3, 2025

But I’m not good at writing, like, “I’m evil and I’m going to wake up and do evil today.” l don’t understand that psychology.

From Salon Dec. 28, 2024

“He was playing softball, l think, and he was wearing a cap,” Heritage says.

From Los Angeles Times Dec. 19, 2024

Time is moving so much faster because you’re talking, and I need that because I just discovered l am a robot.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

It has been owned by private-equity firm L Catterton since 2023.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 4, 2026

Looking to avoid an embarrassing L, the committee postponed the Blanche vote, which had been scheduled for Thursday.

From Slate Jul. 30, 2026

“The upgrade from the K Series to the L Series has been dramatic,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 6, 2026

Goals from Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane help England secure a 2-0 win over Panama, as Thomas Tuchel's side qualify for the World Cup last 32 as winners of Group L.

From BBC Jun. 27, 2026

Start by patsching on your lap, L R L R L R while speaking the rhyme.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Bacterial cell walls contain peptidoglycan, composed of polysaccharide chains that are cross-linked by unusual peptides containing both L- and D-amino acids including D-glutamic acid and D-alanine.

From Textbooks Jun. 9, 2022

L- shaped kitchen: One model unit — 308 — is 755 square feet, with one bedroom and one bathroom.

From Washington Post Nov. 25, 2019

Mr. L-, who is very handsome and gentlemanly, eats ham and patronises a good breed of pigs on the ‘model farm’ on which he spends his money. 

From Letters from the Cape by Lady Lucie Duff Gordon

After the experiments, L- said the fault might be ten miles ahead: by that time, we should be according to a chart in about a thousand fathoms of water - rather more than a mile.

From Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson

Next day, the wind still continuing, I proposed a boating excursion and decoyed A-, L-, and S- into accompanying me.

From Memoir of Fleeming Jenkin by Robert Louis Stevenson

Hay gold-plated Phi scissors, 9" l.; $40. nest.co.uk, 011-44-1225-461-409 Paola C. Tulip carafe by Aldo Cibic, 8" w. x 5" d. x 9.5" h.;

From Architectural Digest Dec. 1, 2014

Marcum also has his eye on the integration of YouTube and Google+, which he believes “will change things.” l. to r.

From Forbes Nov. 13, 2013

Surprisingly, he also cited SlideShare as “one of the biggest opportunities for B-to-B marketers.” l. to r.

From Forbes Nov. 13, 2013

What she was, must be uncertain; but who she was, might be found out; and setting aside the 10,000 l., it did not appear that she was at all Harriet’s superior.

From "Emma" by Jane Austen

All specimens examined from Tamaulipas are assigned to P. l. texanus because their coloration is pale.

From The Recent Mammals of Tamaulipas, Mexico by Ticul Alvarez

Billionaires like New York Knicks owner James L. Dolan reportedly use spying tech to harass people who criticize them.

From Salon Aug. 14, 2026

Shasta County Superior Court Judge Benjamin L. Hanna on Friday issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks Measure B, a citizens’ initiative approved by 56% of voters in the June primary.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 11, 2026

“The key change in my decision is the collapse of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding,” said Catherine L. Mann, having joined the two MPC members who voted for a rate rise in June.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 30, 2026

The doctrine at the center of all this has a name: the Purcell principle, a term coined by Slate contributor Richard L. Hasen after a 2006 case, Purcell v.

From Slate Jul. 30, 2026

One thick green book immediately catches my eye: The Wondrous Lizards of Madagascar, by L. Roy Jenkins.

From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott

There are two L’s in Collin and there are also two W’s — as in major championship victories at the 2020 PGA Championship and 2021 British Open.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 8, 2025

But the hits — and the L’s — were relentless on the Main Line.

From Seattle Times Oct. 26, 2023

In the hours that followed Letby's arrival, Baby L's glucose levels fell abnormally low and he had to be given additional doses of glucose in an attempt to correct the hypoglycaemia.

From BBC Aug. 18, 2023

“Major L’s are being had in my life.”

From New York Times May 14, 2023

The Sorting continued; boys and girls with varying degrees of fright on their faces moving one by one to the four-legged stool, the line dwindling slowly as Professor McGonagall passed the L’s.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Beware the three Ls: leverage, liquidity and lunacy.

From MarketWatch Nov. 7, 2025

And none accumulated more Ls in 2021 than Corbin did, with 16.

From Washington Times Mar. 28, 2023

“If we can string a couple wins together — and I think we’ve been playing good basketball, even with some of the Ls that we’ve had,” LeBron James said.

From Los Angeles Times Jan. 14, 2023

“Our schedule gets no easier, so we have to get better quickly. If we don’t, the Ls are going to start piling up.”

From Washington Post Sep. 25, 2022

The hinges on the cabinets were Ls, the water faucets were Xs, the burners on the stove stood up on neat N legs.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Linkedln: If you try to post a profile here, clearly you didn’t check your I’s and l’s to watch for phishing sites, so you don’t deserve a cybersecurity job anyway.

From Washington Post Oct. 27, 2022

Curving columns of lower-case l’s make the sides of the face.

From New York Times Mar. 3, 2020

My 2-year-old daughter Claudia cannot articulate r’s or l’s properly and falls asleep sucking on the ear of a putrid stuffed sheep.

From Slate Nov. 18, 2015

Or ‘you are sooo ugly’ — but with 10 u’s, 10 g’s, 10 l’s, like they’re all screaming it at someone.”

From New York Times Dec. 5, 2010

He turned red, thinking of his trouble with long a’s, th’s, l’s, consonants at the ends of words.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

A call for the British Museum to return Chinese artefacts after the recent theft of about 2,000 items ls heating up social media in the country.

From BBC Aug. 28, 2023

In Spanish, double ls are pronounced like y.

From Washington Post Apr. 3, 2023

Simpson, wearing a Bills wool hat, recalled how the Bills went 1-17 against Miami during his career in Buffalo, spanning 1969-77, before adding, "My Bi ls are going to kick their butts today."

From Fox News Oct. 31, 2021

Simpson, wearing a Bills wool hat, recalled how the Bills went 1-17 against Miami during his career in Buffalo, spanning 1969-77, before adding, “My Bi ls are going to kick their butts today.”

From Seattle Times Oct. 31, 2021

If    your working directory is empty, ls produces no output, because there are    no files to list.            cd /    cd means ``change directory.''

From Debian GNU/Linux : Guide to Installation and Usage by John Goerzen

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