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leftover — food remaining after a meal

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: food remaining after a meal

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈleftˌoʊvər/

Example Sentences

  • My mom's leftover kimchi is actually better than when it's fresh.
  • The office party had so much leftover cake that we ate it for a week.
  • She always packs leftovers for lunch the next day.

leftover

NOUN

[/ˈleftˌoʊvər/]

food remaining after a meal

She packs the leftover pasta into a container for tomorrow's lunch.
💡 Concept

She packs the leftover pasta into a container for tomorrow's lunch.

LEFT (remaining) + OVER (after it ends) — by collecting the roasted chicken that remained LEFT after the party was OVER, the cook packed a hearty leftover.
🧠 Mnemonic

LEFT (remaining) + OVER (after it ends) — by collecting the roasted chicken that remained LEFT after the party was OVER, the cook packed a hearty leftover.

Crushing the wild patch of sweet clover with a yellow bulldozer, the garden crew scraped away every scattered leftover.
🎵 Rhyme

Crushing the wild patch of sweet clover with a yellow bulldozer, the garden crew scraped away every scattered leftover.

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈleftˌoʊvər/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈleftˌəʊvə/

🌳Etymology

Rootleft
Suffix-over

Origin

From Middle English 'left' (remaining, not taken) combined with 'over' (surplus, excess). Both elements have Old English roots, with 'left' from 'læfan' (to leave) and 'over' from 'ofer' (above, beyond).

Breakdown

left (remaining) + over (surplus, excess) = leftover

🎵Rhyme

takeover
makeover
hangover

🔗Collocations

leftover food
leftover rice
store leftovers
eat leftovers
leftover materials
leftover money

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My mom's leftover kimchi is actually better than when it's fresh.”

😄 Fun example

“The office party had so much leftover cake that we ate it for a week.”

“She always packs leftovers for lunch the next day.”

“The construction project used leftover bricks from another building.”

📚Related Words

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