lateral

[ lat-er-uhl ]

/ ˈlæt ər əl /

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See synonyms for: lateral / laterally on Thesaurus.com

adjective

of or relating to the side; situated at, proceeding from, or directed to a side: a lateral view.

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.

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

noun

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

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

Phonetics. a lateral speech sound.

Football. lateral pass.

verb (used without object)

Football. to throw a lateral pass.

to move laterally or sideways: migrating birds lateraling down into Cape May.

verb (used with object)

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

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Origin of lateral

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin laterālis “of the side,” equivalent to later- (stem of latus ) “side” + -ālis -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM lateral

lat·er·al·ly, adverbpseu·do·lat·er·al, adjective

Words nearby lateral

latent root, latent strabismus, latent time, later, laterad, lateral, lateral bud, lateral canal, lateral fissure, laterality, lateralization

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use lateral in a sentence

These lateral areas assess whether behaviors conform to social norms, and exert inhibitory control over inappropriate or maladaptive behavior.
The Neurology of Flow States - Issue 91: The Amazing Brain|Heather Berlin|October 14, 2020|Nautilus
As a result, roots grow longer, lateral roots develop, and more root hairs sprout.
Junk Food Is Bad For Plants, Too - Issue 90: Something Green|Anne Biklé & David R. Montgomery|September 23, 2020|Nautilus
Social pressure, technological innovations, and economic trends are all closing in on its main product, so it’s trying to make a lateral move into another bloated, polluting industry.
Big Oil’s hopes are pinned on plastics. It won’t end well.|David Roberts|September 4, 2020|Vox
Meanwhile, he said, several dozen of the department’s more proactive-minded officers responded to the new rules and paperwork by simply deciding to “lateral out” to a job in another police department.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica

On July 18, responding to Musk’s call for job applicants who wanted to help “solve” brain and spinal injuries, a Twitter user asked if Neuralink could also help disabled people living with injuries, autism and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.
Elon Musk’s brain company plans a big reveal on Friday. Here’s what we already know|Verne Kopytoff|August 27, 2020|Fortune
Lateral Squats - For this variation, you step to the side as your do your squats.
Squats: The Absolutely Incredible Secret to Staying in Shape|Ari Meisel|January 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
U.S. policy stipulates that military coups trigger an automatic cutoff of bi-lateral military assistance.
Egypt: That Was A Coup|Ali Gharib|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the absence of a bi-lateral breakthrough, Israel should use the Arab Peace Initiative (API) to break the ice.
5 Arab Spring Opportunities For Israel|Nimrod Goren, Elie Podeh|June 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One never sees lateral passing these days -- instead it's plunge or pass.
Peter Worthington on Thinking Outside the Box|David Frum|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But under pressure, many firms are giving up on organic growth and turning to a lateral-hire strategy in the downturn.
Dewey & LeBoeuf Near Collapse—Are Other White Shoe Law Firms In Peril?|Dan Slater|May 3, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The height of the tower from the level of the street is 105 feet, the slated towers over the lateral pediments being smaller.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
While a person has the natural right also to the lateral support of his land, yet he cannot use it to the injury of another.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
The owner of land adjoining a highway has no right to the lateral support of the soil of the street.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
Sometimes these traps were weirs or by-washes, made of long lateral tanks of wicker-work.
Mrs. Falchion, Complete|Gilbert Parker
The pillars are strengthened against lateral yielding by horizontal and diagonal bracing.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various

British Dictionary definitions for lateral

lateral

/ (ˈlætərəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the side or sidesa lateral blow

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

noun

a lateral object, part, passage, or movement

phonetics a lateral speech sound

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

Derived forms of lateral

laterally, adverb

Word Origin for lateral

C17: from Latin laterālis, from latus side

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

lateral

Origin of lateral

OTHER WORDS FROM lateral

Words nearby lateral

Words related to lateral

How to use lateral in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lateral

Derived forms of lateral

Word Origin for lateral