- on the side of your body that is towards the west when you are facing north
- Fewer people write with their left hand than with their right.
- your left knee/leg/foot/arm
- the left side of the field
- The university is on the left bank of the river.
- Take a left turn at the intersection.
- (sport) a left back
- a left hook (= a short hard hit with your closed left hand)
Word OriginOld English lyft, left ‘weak’ (the left-hand side being regarded as the weaker side of the body), of West Germanic origin.Want to learn more?
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Idioms
See left in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee left in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishhave two left feet
- (informal) to be very awkward in your movements, especially when you are dancing or playing a sport
Check pronunciation:
left