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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.
Examples of lateral in a Sentence
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
Vonn’s major pathology was cartilage loss on her lateral, or outer, side.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 27 Oct. 2025
Dan Albano, Oc Register, 11 Oct. 2025
The 49ers’ best offensive play before halftime required a hook-and-lateral from Purdy to Ricky Pearsall to McCaffrey, for a 23-yard gain into the red zone, where that series ultimately ended with a 23-yard field goal from Pineiro 40 seconds before halftime.
—Cam Inman, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Dec. 2022
New England coach Bill Belichick declined to say whether the Patriots players had been instructed to lateral on the final play or reminded not to so with the score tied.
—Mark Inabinett | [email protected], al, 18 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for lateral
Cite this Entry
“Lateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lateral. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lateral
1 of 2 adjective
lateral
2 of 2 nounMedical Definition
lateral
adjective
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