leftovers

leftovers — noun

1. food that has not been finished at one meal and is kept to be eaten later — for

1.名詞B1
釋義

food that has not been finished at one meal and is kept to be eaten later — for example, the rice and chicken still in the pot after dinner that the family will reheat the next day.

例句

Christopher packed the leftovers from Sunday dinner into glass containers for the week.

leftovers from [meal]

There were enough leftovers from the wedding buffet to feed the cleanup crew.

enough leftovers to feed [people]

同義詞
  • scraps

    smaller bits or pieces, often less appetising

  • remains

    more formal; often used of larger quantity

文法句型

leftovers from [meal]

eat the leftovers

用法筆記

Almost always plural. Common verbs are 'eat', 'heat up', 'pack', 'save', 'finish'. Distinguish from sense 2 (figurative survival) — this sense is about edible food kept after a meal.

常見錯誤

❌I made a leftover for lunch.
✅I had leftovers for lunch.
💡'leftovers' is almost always plural when referring to food.
❌There is a leftover in the fridge.
✅There are leftovers in the fridge.
💡use plural agreement with the plural noun.

2. things, ideas, or practices that have survived from an earlier time and now seem

2.名詞C1
釋義

things, ideas, or practices that have survived from an earlier time and now seem out of place — for example, old laws or customs from a past era that still exist even though most of society has moved on.

例句

Many of these dress codes are leftovers from a strict Victorian past.

leftovers from [past era]

Sirin argued that the old tax rules were leftovers of a system designed for farmers.

leftovers of [past system]

同義詞
  • vestige

    more formal; suggests a faint trace

  • remnant

    what remains of something larger that has mostly disappeared

  • relic

    object or practice surviving from a much earlier period

反義詞

文法句型

leftovers from [past era]

leftovers of [past system]

用法筆記

Usually followed by 'from' (a past era) or 'of' (a past system). Distinguish from sense 1 — this sense is about ideas, customs, or objects from the past, not food. Carries a faintly disapproving or nostalgic tone.

常見錯誤

❌These laws are leftover from colonial rule.
✅These laws are leftovers from colonial rule.
💡when used as a noun in this figurative sense, use the plural form, not the adjective 'leftover'.
❌This habit is a leftovers of the old regime.
✅This habit is a leftover of the old regime.
💡when describing a single thing, use singular 'a leftover'; reserve 'leftovers' for plural references.

leftovers — adjective