lefty

¹ American  

[lef-tee] / ˈlɛf ti /

Or leftie

noun

Informal.

lefties plural

1. a left-handed person.

2. a leftist.

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lefty ² American  

[lef-tee] / ˈlɛf ti /

adjective

1. left-handed.

2. leftist; left-wing.

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adverb

1. with the left hand; in a left-handed manner.

   He bats lefty.

lefty British  

/ ˈlɛftɪ /

noun

1. a left-winger

2. a left-handed person

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• lefties
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lefty¹

First recorded in 1925–30; left ¹ + -y ²

Origin of lefty²

First recorded in 1885–90; left ¹ + -y ¹

Example Sentences

As for the contest itself, it featured such legends as Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Al Simmons and Lefty Gomez for the Americans, who were managed by Connie Mack.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

“Playing both sides of the baseball really well. The bat, right-handed looks really good. Lefty is typically his strong side, but I like the right-handed at-bats. Just playing with a lot of real confidence.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Lefty John Means finally made it back from Tommy John surgery, and Dean Kremer was a decent mid-rotation starter.

From Washington Times • Oct. 11, 2023

Korine walked the red carpet with his wife, Rachel Korine, and the oldest of their three children, 14-year-old Lefty Korine.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2023

Lefty finally blurted out as they headed back downstairs.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides