Meaning & use
leftovers
Last updated
“leftovers” is a form of “leftover”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
Food that remains uneaten after a meal and is kept for later.
Grammar: Almost always plural; use a plural verb: The leftovers are in the fridge.
Patterns
- leftovers from something
- eat leftovers
- have leftovers for lunch
We had leftovers for dinner last night.
She packed the leftovers in a container.
The leftovers from the party were still in the fridge.
Word forms
| singular | leftover |
|---|
Common combinations
- eat leftovers
- I usually eat leftovers for lunch.
- leftovers from dinner
- There are leftovers from dinner in the fridge.
- save leftovers
- Don't throw away the food; save leftovers for tomorrow.
- a container of leftovers
- He brought a container of leftovers to work.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remains
- More formal and can refer to parts of anything, not just food; leftovers is specifically about uneaten food.
- scraps
- Small pieces of food left after a meal, often not enough for a full meal; leftovers can be a full portion saved.
Word family
- leftover adjective
- Remaining after the main part has been used: leftover food.
Commonly confused: leftovers or left over?
leftovers vs left over
As two words, it is a phrase meaning 'remaining': There was some food left over. 'Leftovers' is a noun for the food itself.
Practice
The ______ from last night are in the fridge.
Choose one answer.
The noun 'leftovers' is plural and fits with 'are'. 'Leftover' is singular and would need 'is'; 'left over' is a phrase used after a verb, not a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “leftovers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.