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Synonyms

left field

American  

noun

  1. Baseball.

    1. the area of the outfield to the left of center field, as viewed from home plate.

    2. the position of the player covering this area.

  2. Slang. a position or circumstance that is remote from an ordinary or general trend.


idioms

  1. out in left field, completely mistaken; wrong.

left-field British  

adjective

  1. informal regarded as being outside the mainstream; unconventional

"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

left field More Idioms  

Etymology

Origin of left field

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

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.

JJ has become an important part of his team, starting in left field while batting No. 9 in the order.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

But overnight, he has seemingly forgotten how to hit the ball in the air—especially to left field, where righty-swinging home-run hitters tend to do the most damage.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

Rushing’s 385-foot blast to left field and Teoscar Hernández’s RBI single made it 9-1 in the eighth.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

Kendra Nelson walked to begin the game, then Gonzales lined an inside pitch deep over the fence in left field to make it 2-0.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

The Henry County Hurricane stands erupt with cheers: their batter just smashed the ball out into deep left field.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

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