leftover

1 of 2

noun

left·​over ˈleft-ˌō-vər How to pronounce leftover (audio)
Synonyms of leftovernext
1
: something that remains unused or unconsumed
especially : leftover food served at a later meal
—usually used in plural
2
: an anachronistic survival : vestige

leftover

2 of 2

adjective

: not consumed or used
leftover food
leftover space

Synonyms of leftover

Relevance

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of leftover in a Sentence

Noun Are we having leftovers again? The law is a leftover from earlier times.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Preller dug around a farm system that isn’t even that great anymore, and found enough leftover parts to bring in two of the better starters available. — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Gumede plans to power and supply regional markets with electricity using both Illovo and Tongaat refineries to produce bio-ethanol and converting leftover sugarcane fiber. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Much of the debris that clouds the water in this technique is leftover detergent and fabric softener that build up in fabric fibers over time, according to the article. — Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 12 July 2026 The rest goes into a stock pot with leftover frozen celery tops, onion skins and maybe the odd garlic clove. — Malaka Gharib, NPR, 6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for leftover

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of leftover was in 1864

Rhymes for leftover

See All Rhymes for leftover

Browse Nearby Words

left of center
leftover
left, right, and centre
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Leftover.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/leftover. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

leftover

noun
left·​over
ˈlef-ˌtō-vər
: something remaining
especially : food left over from one meal and served at another
—usually used in plural
leftover adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on leftover

Nglish: Translation of leftover for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of torpor

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All