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• left wing
  left wing

  noun

  members of a liberal or radical political party, or those favoring extensive political reform.
• left-wing
  left-wing

  A descriptive term for liberal, radical, or revolutionary political views, particularly the view that there are unacceptable social inequalities in the present order of society. Communists and socialists, as well as moderate liberals, come under the term left-wing. Left-wing groups are sometimes known collectively as the Left. (Compare right-wing.)

left wing

American  

noun

left wings plural

1. members of a liberal or radical political party, or those favoring extensive political reform.

2. such a party or a group of such parties.

3. the part of a political or social organization advocating a liberal or radical position.

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left wing British  

noun

1. (often capital) the leftist faction of an assembly, party, group, etc; the radical or progressive wing

2. the units of an army situated on the left of a battle position

3. sport

   1. the left-hand side of the field of play from the point of view of either team facing its opponents' goal

   2. a player positioned in this area in certain games

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adjective

1. of, belonging to, or relating to the political left wing

left-wing ¹ Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for liberal, radical, or revolutionary political views, particularly the view that there are unacceptable social inequalities in the present order of society. Communists and socialists, as well as moderate liberals, come under the term left-wing. Left-wing groups are sometimes known collectively as the Left. (Compare right-wing.)

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left-wing ² Cultural  

1. A descriptive term for an individual or a political faction that advocates liberal, radical, or even revolutionary policies, usually in favor of overcoming social inequalities. In the United States, left-wing groups generally support federal social welfare programs designed to open opportunities to all citizens. (Compare right-wing.)

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left wing Idioms  

1. The liberal or radical faction of a political group, as in Many consider him a leader of the Democratic Party's left wing. This expression originated in the seating practice of European legislatures, whereby those holding liberal views were assigned to the left side of the house. [First half of 1800s]

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Although both major political parties in the United States have left-wing factions, left-wing policies are usually associated with the Democratic party.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• left-winger
  noun
• left-wing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• left wings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of left wing

First recorded in 1700–10

Compare meaning

How does left-wing compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• left wing vs. right wing

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

left wing left-wing

On the other is the left wing of the party, exemplified by Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez as well as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Antonio Nusa and Andreas Schjelderup take turns playing on the left wing and have serviced Haaland well.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Balogun ran onto the ball then turned on the jets, making a dash up the left wing before turning toward the penalty area and bending a pass toward Sergiño Dest in the six-yard box.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

He could plug Gio Reyna into Pulisic’s playmaking spot on the left wing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

The Dragon King had spread his left wing outward to reveal the wound in his side.

From "Dragonwings" by Laurence Yep

Thus began a short, tumultuous career in left-wing politics, chronicled in “Nothing Left: Confessions of a Democratic Operative,” published next week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Ed Miliband became foreign minister, Wes Streeting -- who abandoned plans to run against Burnham for the Labour leadership -- was named defence minister, and left-wing figurehead Angela Rayner returned to government.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

“I gather that everyone here is 100% certain Graham Platner is a Nazi antisemite,” the left-wing journalist Ryan Grim wrote on Bluesky in early March.

From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026

He is thought to be in the centre of the party, as compared to the more left-wing stance of former Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

It convened in the summer of 1934 with left-wing writers attending from all states.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Related Words

• left-winger
• leftist
• liberal
• progressive
• radical