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:
There were no more lines for many different Dudamel T-shirts, just leftover Hollywood Bowl ones, and no wait for popcorn or ice cream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Having feeders full of seeds and leftover meat will attract more birds.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
But the brand failed to take off—before the partnership with Netflix ended and employees at the streaming service were encouraged to take home leftover perishable inventory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
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
Seemed like Tansy was looking high and low for any little leftover opening in our heads she could cram knowledge into.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
"I have noticed it loves fried rice a lot! The way he eats up my fried rice leftovers - very voracious," laughs Promise.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Chemed said it buys sports tickets for business purposes and that its CEO, a "huge sports fan," sometimes uses leftovers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
If you have leftovers — which you will — enjoy them for lunch or dinner the following day.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 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 it’s still not your turn because first the hyenas and jackals—and you don’t dare interfere with them—scavenge the leftovers.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
