1
a
: of, relating to, situated on, or being the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located
her left leg
b
: done with the left hand
a left hook to the jaw
c
: located nearer to the left hand than to the right
a man's left chest
d(1)
: located on the left of an observer facing in the same direction as the object specified
stage left
the left arm of a chair
(2)
: located on the left when facing downstream
the left bank of a river
2
often Left
: of, adhering to, or constituted by the Left (see left entry 2 sense 3a) in politics
… they justify what at the moment is possibly the least Left policy imaginable—lower tax rates for top earners.—
William Watson
William Watson… have written an open letter … calling for renewed talks to form a left government.—Aoife Moore
Aoife Moore
left
adverb
plural lefts
1
a
: the left hand
b
: the location or direction of the left side
c
: the part on the left side
d
: a turn to the left
take a left at the intersection
2
a
b
: a blow struck with the left fist
3
a
Left
: political parties and individuals who support or promote liberalism (see liberalism sense 2a) or progressivism
—usually used with the
policies opposed by the Left
b
: the political position of those who support the beliefs and policies of the Left
the country's shift to the left
c
often Left
: the members of a continental European legislative body occupying the section of the legislative chamber to the left of the presiding officer as a result of holding more liberal political views than other members
also,
usually left
: the section of the chamber they occupy
left
3 of 3past tense and past participle of leave
Synonyms
Examples of left in a Sentence
Adjective
He felt a pain in his left side.
He hit him with a left hook to the jaw.
the left side of the street
Noun
We read from left to right.
You'll take two lefts and then a right.
He hit him with two quick lefts to the stomach followed by a right to the jaw.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
The top left portion of the canvas was inspired by Paris, Texas, a 1984 neo-Western drama road film directed by Wim Wenders.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Simon Shuster, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024
The left is rejecting men and masculinity, so men are becoming more right-wing.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for left 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
The intensity between Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) and Tyson (50-6, 44 knockouts) has continued to build, as just last night, the 58-year-old slapped Paul across his left cheek as the two came face to face during the pre-fight weigh-in.
—Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 22 Nov. 2024
The top left portion of the canvas was inspired by Paris, Texas, a 1984 neo-Western drama road film directed by Wim Wenders.
—Natasha Gural, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
Clockwise from top left: Photograph by Mark Seliger for TIME, Photograph by Mark Mahaney for TIME, Illustration by Nigel Buchanan for TIME, Illustration by Tim O’Brien for TIME
Musk didn’t seem to care.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024
The left is rejecting men and masculinity, so men are becoming more right-wing.
—Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for left
Dictionary Entries Near left
Cite this Entry
“Left.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/left. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
left
1 of 3 adjective1
: of, relating to, or being the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located
the left leg
2
: located nearer to the left side of the body than to the right
the left arm of a chair
left
adverb
left
2 of 3 noun1
: the left side or the part on the left side
2
: the members of a European legislative body sitting to the left of the presiding officer and holding more radical views than other members
3
capitalized
: political liberals or radicals
also
: their beliefs
left
3 of 3past and past participle of leave
Medical Definition
left
adjective
: of, relating to, or being the side of the body in which the heart is mostly located
also
: located nearer to this side than to the right
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