leftover
Americannoun
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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
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.
Spoon over warm rice and pile on whatever toppings you have around: avocado, cheese, cabbage, cilantro, leftover pico or a squeeze of lime.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
"Sometimes, if medicines are leftover from the baby of a better-off family, we use it for the babies whose families cannot afford it," Fatima says.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
It was a leftover structure from a deep-sea anemone, specifically the base that once attached the animal to the seafloor.
From Science Daily • Apr. 27, 2026
Investigators took a swab from a leftover pizza crust Heuermann threw out in 2023, linking him to a hair found on the burlap sack Waterman’s remains were found in.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
The barn was empty: not even the leftover scent of manure greeted us.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
