laterally

American  

[lat-er-uh-lee] / ˈlæt ər ə li /

adverb

1. from side to side; along a plane.

   You can force plants to grow wide and bushy by training the growth tips to grow laterally rather than cutting off the tops of the shoots.

2. in a way that involves a broadly equivalent position, office, etc..

   She worked as a nurse for many years and then, moving laterally, was employed as an area supervisor in the social work field.

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Etymology

Origin of laterally

lateral ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If you've ever seen a crab walking along the sand at the beach, you may have noticed that it walks laterally, meaning it moves sideways rather than forward. Moving laterally refers to shifting side to side rather than forward, backward, or vertically. This term is common in sports, like when a soccer player moves laterally to avoid an opponent. In the workplace, moving laterally means changing positions or job titles within the same company, without a promotion or demotion. The word comes from the Latin lateralis, meaning "side," and applies to both physical movement and career changes.

Example Sentences

Moving laterally allows crabs to travel quickly in either direction, making it easier to evade predators.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2026

“Growth and development doesn’t just mean a promotion—you also can expand and grow and develop laterally, and maybe in a different function area.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The proportion of attacking phases in which the ball is moved 20 metres laterally from the previous breakdown has nearly doubled.

From BBC • Nov. 23, 2025

Unlike universal injunctions, which are top-down blocks, collateral estoppel works laterally — one court at a time, but each building on the last.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2025

The elevator comes to a slight pause and then begins to move laterally to the left.

From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• sideward
• to the side