left¹ Definition
left (left)
adjective
- designating or of that side of one's body which is toward the west when one faces north, the side of the less-used hand in most people
- designating or of the corresponding side of anything
- closer to the left side of a person directly before and facing the thing mentioned or understood the top left drawer of a desk
- of the side or bank of a river on the left of a person facing downstream
- of the political left; liberal or radical
Etymology: ME (Kentish) var. of lift < OE lyft, weak, akin to EFris luf, weak
noun
- all or part of the left side
- what is on the left side
- a direction or location on the left side: often with the
- a turn toward the left side
- ☆ Baseball left field
- Boxing
- the left hand
- a blow delivered with the left hand
- Politics a liberal or radical position, esp. one varying from moderate socialism to communism, or a party or group advocating this: often with the: from the position of the seats occupied in some European legislatures
adverb
on or toward the left hand or side
left¹ Idioms
have two left feet
to be very clumsy
left² Definition
left (left)
transitive verb, intransitive verb
left Synonyms
left
modif.
Opposite to right
leftward, left-hand, near, sinister, sinistral, sinistrous, larboard, port, portside, nigh side*. Antonyms
right*, right-hand*, starboard. * Remaining
staying, continuing, over; see extra, remaining 2.Radical
left-wing, liberal, progressive; see liberal 2, radical 2, revolutionary 1.Departed
gone out, taken a powder*, split*; see gone 1. See syn. study at liberal.
left Synonyms
left Usage Examples
Converse of object
- unite: These attempts invariably weaken the Labor left and undermine efforts to unite the left around a common alternative economic and political strategy.
- turn: Turn right then the next left into Grainger Street.
Preposition: at
roundabout: On exiting the tunnel take the first left at the large roundabout then right at the next roundabout.
Adjective modifier
- sharp: Go through the village bearing sharp left at junction.
- upper: Notice the two workers in the upper left of the picture.
- extreme: In the second picture, I'm standing at the far side of the table and my son is standing on the extreme left.
- top: The straight edge at the top left shows the Si 110 plane.
- socialist: It was the only credible national challenge to New Labor from the socialist left.
- anti-war: Al-Qaeda is also sustained by sections of the anti-war left who provide it with moral and political substance.
Modifies a noun
- side: Insert the needle into the left hand side of the graft from outside in, 5mm from the graft edge.
- corner: Place the image against the top left corner of the scanner.
- wing: Four parallel vertical grooves on bottom left wing; 3 parallel oblique grooves on right wing.
- leg: All the outside of his left leg looks like someone did im over with a cheese grater.
- button: Press the left mouse button near the object to be moved.
- shoulder: Subtle, gray stitched branding logo on back of left shoulder.
Noun used with modifier
turn: Take the 1st exit at the roundabout and then the immediate turn left which leads onto Oxford Street.
Possessives
fake: For example, the SWP became the fattest of the fake ' lefts ' via decades of the most reactionary anti-Soviet opportunism.
Preposition: of
Browse dictionary entries near left
- ‹ leeway
- ‹ Leeward Islands
- ‹ leeward
- ‹ Leeuwenhoek
- ‹ Leeuwarden
- ‹ Leetspeak
- ‹ leet
- ‹ lees
- ‹ leery
- ‹ leer
- Left Bank ›
- left brain ›
- left field ›
- left-hand ›
- left-handed ›
- left heart ›
- left out ›
- left wing ›
- leftish ›
- leftist ›

