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Lateral shows up in all kinds of contexts. A lateral job change is one that keeps you at about the same job level and salary. A coach might have special drills to improve his players' lateral speed and agility. The British speak of "lateral thinking", thinking that grabs ideas that may not seem to be relevant but turn out to work well—what we might call "thinking outside the box". But we know lateral best from football. A lateral pass is a pass of the ball between teammates that usually goes to the side and slightly backward from the direction in which they're advancing; unlike a forward pass, a lateral may be made from any position, and any number may be made in a single play.
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Examples of lateral in a Sentence
PCMAG, 16 Apr. 2024
Instead, that burden will fall on the Warriors’ bigger, rangier players who might not have as much lateral quickness.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lateral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Lateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lateral. Accessed 5 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lateral
1 of 2 adjective
lateral
2 of 2 nounMedical Definition
lateral
adjective
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