leftover
Americannoun
-
leftovers
plural
-
Usually leftovers. food remaining uneaten at the end of a meal, especially when saved for later use.
-
anything left or remaining from a larger amount; remainder.
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of leftover
1890–95; noun use of verb phrase left over; see left 2
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:
Hacker said he has seen a 70% reduction of crews available for certain jobs, forcing the leftover crews to double their rates in most cases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
A white dwarf is the leftover core of a low-mass star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers of gas and dust into space.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026
The fibrous leftover from beer production also serves as a "local alternative," Munk said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
There were no more lines for many different Dudamel T-shirts, just leftover Hollywood Bowl ones, and no wait for popcorn or ice cream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
In the kitchen, when the manager wasn’t looking, she ate the leftover wedges of toast and cold forkfuls of scrambled eggs from the plates instead of scraping them into the garbage.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Since then, the leftovers have emerged over the Atlantic and been scooped up by a powerful jet stream.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
I have a Zwilling nonstick pan I use for eggs, pancakes, reheating, leftovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Families with children typically spend more, so cutting back would require things like planning low-cost meals, saying no to prepared and convenience foods, making use of leftovers and bringing lunch to work.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
They programmed several types of yeast, including baker's yeast, to take molecules derived from plastic and agricultural leftovers and convert them into proteins, vitamins, and flavoring compounds.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
She began straightening up the kitchen, putting away the leftovers and piling dishes in the sink.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
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