left

[ left ]

/ lɛft /

adjective

of, relating to, or located on or near the side of a person or thing that is turned toward the west when the subject is facing north (opposed to right).

Often Left . of or belonging to the political Left; having liberal or radical views in politics.

Mathematics. pertaining to an element of a set that has a given property when written on the left of an element or set of elements of the set: a left identity, as 1 in 1 ⋅ x = x.

noun

the left side or something that is on the left side.

a turn toward the left: Make a left at the next corner.

the Left,

the complex of individuals or organized groups advocating liberal reform or revolutionary change in the social, political, or economic order.
the position held by these people.
left wing.

Compare right (defs. 33a, b), right wing.

Usually Left .Government.

the part of a legislative assembly, especially in continental Europe, that is situated on the left side of the presiding officer and that is customarily assigned to members of the legislature who hold more radical and socialistic views than the rest of the members.
the members of such an assembly who sit on the left.

Boxing. a blow delivered by the left hand.

Baseball. left field (def. 1).

adverb

toward the left: She moved left on entering the room.

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having or claiming to have the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.

mild or merciful in disposition or character; lenient; compassionate.

favorite; cherished.

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Origin of left

First recorded in 1125–75; 1935–40 for def. 6; Middle English left, lift, luft, Old English left “idle, weak, useless,” Kentish form of lyft- (in lyftādl “palsy”); cognate with Dutch, Low German lucht; akin to Middle English libbe (modern dialect lib ) “to castrate,” cognate with Dutch, Low German lubben

Words nearby left

Lefkoşa, LeFort I fracture, LeFort II fracture, LeFort III fracture, lefse, left, left atrioventricular valve, Left Bank, left brachiocephalic vein, left brain, left-brained

Definition for left (2 of 2)

left²

[ left ]

/ lɛft /

verb

simple past tense and past participle of leave¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for left

Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
Clad in a blue, striped button-down, a silver watch adorning his left wrist, Huckabee beams on the cover.
Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner!|Olivia Nuzzi|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Morris searched for whatever strength was left in his malnourished body.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But there is a big twist in this story that has left both Grace Castro and Lozoya frustrated and grasping for more answers.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Human evolution has left men as deeply wired for emotional connections to children as women are.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The poet Byron's bedroom remains almost as he left it, and on the lawn is the monument to his favorite dog, "Boatswain."
England, Picturesque and Descriptive|Joel Cook
James asked, when he and his brother were left alone with the wine.
Poor Relations|Compton Mackenzie
That house was, at length, the only one left standing; and when we returned Mrs. W. pointed it out to me.
Retrospect of Western Travel, Volume I (of 2)|Harriet Martineau
Such rapidity yet precision of thought, such volubility yet clearness of utterance, left all competitors behind.
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 1. No 1, June 1850|Various
If I was to write to my mother,' says he, 'that my wife had left me, I believe it would be the death of her.
The Land of Long Ago|Eliza Calvert Hall

British Dictionary definitions for left (1 of 2)

left¹

/ (lɛft) /

adjective

(usually prenominal) of or designating the side of something or someone that faces west when the front is turned towards the north

(usually prenominal) worn on a left hand, foot, etc

(sometimes capital) of or relating to the political or intellectual left

(sometimes capital) radical or progressive, esp as compared to less radical or progressive groups, persons, etc

adverb

on or in the direction of the left

noun

a left side, direction, position, area, or partRelated adjectives: sinister, sinistral

(often capital) the supporters or advocates of varying degrees of social, political, or economic change, reform, or revolution designed to promote the greater freedom, power, welfare, or comfort of the common people

to the left radical in the methods, principles, etc, employed in striving to achieve such change

boxing

a blow with the left hand
the left hand

Word Origin for left

Old English left idle, weak, variant of lyft- (in lyftādl palsy, literally: left-disease); related to Middle Dutch lucht left

British Dictionary definitions for left (2 of 2)

left²

/ (lɛft) /

verb

the past tense and past participle of leave 1

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

Idioms and Phrases with left

left

In addition to the idioms beginning with left

left field
left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, the
left wing

also see:

hang a left
out in left field
right and left
take up where one left off
two left feet

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adjective

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