leftover
Americannoun
-
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:
One big issue for some fashion retailers is having big piles of leftover stock that has to be discounted heavily so they can shift it.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Hamawy led me through the polished medical half of the office to a room around the corner with a conference table and a messy whiteboard with leftover green-marker notes from the primary.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
This detour is not a clever design, but a historical leftover from our fish-like ancestors when the nerve took a straightforward path around the gill arches.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026
If you’ve found yourself dipping into the current martini craze, you may find yourself with a decent bit of olive juice leftover.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
The leftover garbage on the sidewalk had to be from Josie’s house, not the school.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
If you have leftovers — which you will — enjoy them for lunch or dinner the following day.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
When you put food leftovers outside the house for collection, what do you think you are doing?
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
Needing new material for their 1981 tour, the Stones cobbled together “Tattoo You” from leftovers and half-finished songs dating back to “Goats Head Soup.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
But there could be value in the sector’s leftovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
For dinner we have the leftovers from the meal I cooked yesterday, and again, nobody thanks me.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
