left 1 of 2

noun

Definition of leftnext
as in liberalism
a political belief stressing progress, the essential goodness of humankind, and individual freedom a rising politician who is being hailed as the new voice of the left

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

left

2 of 2

verb

past tense of leave
1
as in abandoned
to cause to remain behind you can leave your lunch in the refrigerator while we're outside starry-eyed lovers who promise never to leave one another

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bequeathed
to give by means of a will I'm going to leave all of my possessions to my children

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in quit
to give up (a job or office) he left his job in the city and moved out into the country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in handed
to put (something) into the possession or safekeeping of another why don't you leave your watch with me while you swim?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in dumped
to end a usually intimate relationship with is there ever a good way to leave a lover?

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in allowed
to give permission to aw, leave him come

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of left
Noun
For Balthaser, these developments bore out some of the Jewish left’s warnings about Zionism as a project of nationalism, imperialism, and ethnic exclusion. — Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 31 Aug. 2026 Saturn will be visible as a dazzling star-like object less than 10 degrees to the lower left of the lunar disk roughly one hour after moonrise. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 31 Aug. 2026 At the bottom of the laces, beads are used to spell out Clark’s initials on the right shoe and jersey number on the left. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 30 Aug. 2026 By way of example, Italy’s right-wing government has attempted to reshape cultural institutions with new leadership, following Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s complaints that the sector has been dominated by the political left. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for left
Recent Examples of Synonyms for left
  1. liberalism
  2. abandoned
  3. bequeathed
  4. quit
  5. handed
  6. dumped
  7. allowed
  8. stranded
Noun
  • The national conservatives embrace Christian nationalism and seek to bulwark the homogeneous nation-state from threats from liberalism.
    — Leonard A. Schuette, Foreign Affairs, 25 Aug. 2026
  • But, outside of cosmopolitan sections of Tel Aviv, Herzliya, and Haifa, the liberalism that fuelled his humor couldn’t be taken for granted.
    — Bernard Avishai, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of liberalism
Verb
  • When a friend pointed out some weighted bags lining the path at the bottom of the staircase one day, the siblings quickly abandoned the water jug idea.
    — Jenna Belhumeur, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Geren said the convention center was part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown Fort Worth in the 1960s after it was partly abandoned by commercial tenants in the previous decade.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of abandoned
Verb
  • More than a century after a rare painting, recently attributed to Gian Lorenzo Bernini, was bequeathed to the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien in 1920, the painting, Portrait of an Old Man, will go on display on December 2, per reports.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Youthful ambition bequeathed them unpredictably shifting time signatures, a daunting nylon-string intro, some odd musical shifts during the guitar-solo section, and a long list of other complexities.
    — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of bequeathed
Verb
  • Craig, now a devoted granddad with a dry sense of humor, began working alongside his father at thirteen, quitting school even though teachers warned him that house moving was a dying trade.
    — Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Hep Spyder blamed Dwight for Buffo Carducci’s quitting on him back when Dwight was Hep’s tent boss.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of quit
Verb
  • During Thursday’s sentencing, he was handed a four-and-a-half-year sentence, the BBC, The Guardian and The Telegraph reported.
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Therefore, how much of the impact caused by El Niño will ultimately translate into the bills handed to consumers remains to be seen.
    — , CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of handed
Verb
  • These men never anticipated being dumped in a New Jersey ditch so far from home.
    — Jennifer Janofsky, The Conversation, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Younger artists were nipping at her heels, and her record company dumped her.
    — Martha Ackmann, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of dumped
Verb
  • Both were placed on IR-return, which allowed 23-year-old Jacob Bayer to sneak onto the roster after a fantastic camp.
    — Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In the Steelers’ first game of the 2025 season, Jones allowed three sacks on quarterback Aaron Rodgers while lined up at left tackle.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of allowed
Verb
  • In order to test him during his childhood, his parents do everything from shooting an apple off his head to leaving him stranded in a dangerous part of town, forcing John to fend for himself.
    — Matt Minton, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
  • For those stranded by a flood, survival depends on many factors including access to oxygen, food and water.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of stranded

Phrases Containing left

Browse Nearby Words

leeway
left
left-handed
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Cite this Entry

“Left.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/left. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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