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leftovers

/ˈlɛftoʊvərz/
/ˈlɛftəʊvəz/
IPA guide

The extra food from Sunday's supper that you store and eat on Monday is called leftovers. If you're sick of meatloaf, it's also called, "Oh, no, not that again!"

Leftovers is most often used to describe extra food that gets saved and eaten later. You take them home from a restaurant in a "doggie bag," even if you don't have a pet. But this word can also refer to nonfood items that remain after an event. If you buy 100 sparklers for July Fourth, but you and your friends only light 76 of them, the remaining 26 are the leftovers.

Definitions of leftovers
  1. noun
    food remaining from a previous meal
    “he had leftovers for dinner last night”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    food, solid food
    any solid substance (as opposed to liquid) that is used as a source of nourishment
Pronunciation
US
/ˈlɛftoʊvərz/
UK
/ˈlɛftəʊvəz/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘leftovers'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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