leftover
Americannoun
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leftovers
plural
-
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:
Keytruda is administered at the same time to help make sure the patient’s immune response activates against the leftover cancer cells.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Hobby spending is a small amount of overall retail sales, but it's a good gauge of whether consumers have any money leftover in their budgets."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Kimberly-Clark identified hesperaloe as a top contender among 70 candidates for potential new sources of fiber, including wheat straw, leftover corn, chicken feathers, seaweed and algae.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
My wildcards were honey, for the vegetables and leftover cornbread, and basil, mostly for color and romance.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026
I lifted the towel to grab one of the leftover sandwiches in the basket.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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
When she saw that the beeswax candles, which last significantly longer than paraffin candles, were selling faster than the honey, she decided to focus on making candles from the leftovers from her uncles’ hives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
But there could be value in the sector’s leftovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Nathan carefully led Uncle Jet to Nali, who was eating her leftovers.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
