How to Use lateral in a Sentence

lateral

1 of 3 adjective
  • There were a few lateral moves as well, Messler said.
    — Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2026
  • That’s how bad the lateral attempt was.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Dec. 2025
  • His lateral pursuit leaves the station on time and with a fast take-off.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Stolarz still didn’t look as quick with his glove or his lateral movement.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Cut stems back to a lateral branch or bud (called thinning cuts) to maintain a strong form.
    — Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025
  • The larvae are about 60mm when full grown, green and sport a lateral white and red stripe.
    — Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
  • Damaged branches can be removed at the trunk or cut back to a lateral branch.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2025
  • Neck, armpit, lateral trunk, plantar foot, crown of the head—each spot got five quick tickles.
    — Max G. Levy, WIRED, 6 Oct. 2022
  • Zuhn’s lateral quickness suits him well for zone-blocking schemes.
    — Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The bonus will apply to all lateral hires and be paid in installments.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2023
  • The president has raised the prospect of a tri-lateral summit as the next step.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 18 Aug. 2025
  • But the worst, by far, were the motions that were both vertical and lateral.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026
  • This will emphasize a stretch on the lateral portion of the glute.
    — Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 12 May 2023
  • On the way back, ditch the crossover and take normal lateral shuffles.
    — Cori Ritchey, Men's Health, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Think of all those islands on the southern lateral (ph) of Iran.
    — CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • To keep a tree's open, airy form, remove lower, lateral branches close to the trunk.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Use clean, sharp pruners to cut a smooth edge right above a living bud, lateral branch, or along the trunk where there is a ragged break.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Use clean, sharp pruners to cut a smooth edge right above a living bud, lateral branch, or along the trunk where there is a ragged break.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2026
  • The Heat also didn’t want to make a lateral move that could take away playing time from its young core.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
  • To try out lateral lunges, begin with your feet together.
    — Caroline C. Boyle, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
  • It’s used in all the underwater scenes, as well as for shots that have a lot of lateral motion.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
  • Tomatoes produce long lateral stems that like to clamber along the ground, then root into the soil.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 June 2026
  • Why are the front seats so skimpy and lacking in support, lateral or otherwise?
    — Patrick Bedard, Car and Driver, 16 Apr. 2023
  • The roof at first appears to be a T-top, but the lateral edges of the ceiling are intact.
    — Car and Driver, 28 Sep. 2022
  • Yellow and orange come to the other foot with red laces and a lateral Swoosh in two shades of blue.
    — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
  • Making lateral moves work requires more than a platform.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The act of keeping your hands on the wheel and guiding the car’s lateral motion is enough to keep your brain engaged.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 13 May 2023
  • Alternate between a lateral lunge and curtsy lunge on the same side.
    — Erin Warwood, Women's Health, 1 Feb. 2023
  • The bit at the end there was Nadia not quite managing to do lateral arm raises.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 2 Feb. 2024
  • The low bulwarks and lateral walkways continue a sense of space.
    — Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 24 Nov. 2023

lateral

2 of 3 noun
  • The third came on a lateral on the final play of the game after time had run out.
    — Mark Inabinett | [email protected], al, 15 Nov. 2022
  • Gordon Riese, the line judge, had the best view of the last lateral.
    — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Nov. 2022
  • The first crop will form on shoots directly from these arms; future crops will form on shoots from laterals off these arms.
    — The Editors Of Organic Life, Good Housekeeping, 6 Feb. 2018
  • Mikula said that laterals usually are installed through bores or holes drilled in the road.
    — Bob Sandrick, cleveland.com, 30 Apr. 2018
  • Brazzell had another touchdown later in the game on a hook-and-lateral in the fourth.
    — Cody Thorn, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Army field the kick, then tries to throw a lateral across the field, which was intercepted and returned for a score.
    — Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 14 Nov. 2020
  • No one laterals or fumbles or randomly attempts a drop kick with the game on the line all season long.
    — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023
  • Bennett passed the ball to Marshall in the lateral who hit him back for the 42-yard score.
    — Dallas News, 23 Sep. 2022
  • The first came three plays into the game, off a low toss down the line of scrimmage from Thorne that was a backward lateral.
    — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 2022
  • Two of the laterals are joining Franklin from Lewisburg.
    — Gabrielle Chenault, The Tennessean, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The Aztecs made multiple laterals on the game's final play from their 40.
    — chicagotribune.com, 24 Dec. 2017
  • Nick Mullens quickly turned to his right and threw a lateral to Aiyuk, who caught the ball at the 44.
    — Ron Kroichick, SFChronicle.com, 4 Oct. 2020
  • Aaron Rodgers finished the game face down on the turf after sailing a lateral out of bounds on a frantic, failed final play.
    — Stephen Whyno, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2022
  • Both had numerous water spouts up to 2 feet or more in length, but the ends of the laterals have grown only inches in four years on both trees.
    — oregonlive, 1 Mar. 2020
  • The lateral was a borderline forward pass, but Dyson ran 75 yards for the touchdown and the win.
    — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2022
  • The Beavers dug into their bag of tricks and pulled out a play that involved a fake reverse and a lateral to go up 14-0.
    — Jonathan X. Simmons, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2022
  • Andrew Bruce recovered a lateral for touchdown for the only score of the third quarter.
    — cleveland, 11 Sep. 2021
  • The game ended in a desperate series of laterals that resulted in a fumble.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 4 Jan. 2026
  • The game ended on a desperate series of laterals that resulted in a fumble.
    — Dallas Morning News, 3 Jan. 2026
  • Each team will have a 12-man roster and there is no blocking, kicking or fumbles in the league and only one lateral is allowed per play.
    — Geoffrey C. Arnold, OregonLive.com, 22 May 2017
  • Allen laterals right to McCaffrey, his pass short right intended for Hogan.
    — oregonlive, 15 Dec. 2019
  • Sewer laterals connect a property's plumbing to the sewer main.
    — Molly McCrea, CBS News, 22 May 2026
  • The Hurricanes scored a touchdown on a kickoff return that featured eight-laterals and no time on the clock to defeat Duke.
    — Matt Murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, 16 May 2017
  • Marcus Mariota tried a lateral that wasn't handled well.
    — Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 30 Nov. 2025
  • Against San Francisco, Dalton threw a lateral to Wilson, who lined up wide left.
    — Dallas News, 21 Dec. 2020
  • The turnaround started with razzle-dazzle as Slovis threw a long lateral to Parker Kingston on the right edge.
    — Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2023
  • Offensive left tackle Edward Ryan, rather than set up in pass protection, dropped back and caught a lateral from Creech.
    — J.l. Kirven, The Courier-Journal, 12 Nov. 2022
  • Velez found Jackson Beerman on a lateral, who then found Jacquez Jones wide open for a 63-yard touchdown pass.
    — David J. Kim, The Courier-Journal, 21 Nov. 2020
  • The Cowboys picked up 70-plus yards on a lateral from a punt return and, of course, kicker Greg Zuerlein made four field goals.
    — Calvin Watkins, Dallas News, 8 Nov. 2020
  • Watson connected with Fuller, who was wide open, with a 34-yard touchdown on a trick play after handing the ball off and getting it back on a lateral.
    — Larry Lage, Star Tribune, 26 Nov. 2020

lateral

3 of 3 verb
  • There was a play where a guy purposely lateraled past the line of scrimmage.
    — Jason Gay, WSJ, 21 Nov. 2018
  • Cozart lateraled to Wilson, then slipped past his right tackle and right up the middle for a wide-open catch.
    — Dave Southorn and Rachel Roberts, idahostatesman, 4 Nov. 2017
  • Renfrow lateraled to tight end Marcell Ateman, who gained nine more yards.
    — Ryan O’Halloran, The Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2019
  • The Skins threw a screen pass and started desperately lateraling the ball all over the field.
    — Dan Gartland, SI.com, 3 Oct. 2017
  • The big guard lateraled to Mohamed Sanu, who shipped it back to White, who fumbled, ending the play.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 31 Dec. 2019
  • Brady recovered and lateraled to Ben Watson, who sent it back to Edelman, who flung it back to Thuney.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 31 Dec. 2019
  • The two connected again two players later, with Higgins lateraling the ball to Nick Chubb to gain a few more yards.
    — Scott Patsko, cleveland.com, 6 June 2019
  • Rodriguez first tackled one ball-carrier, who lateraled it, then sniffed out another ball-carrier who coughed it up, and finally another.
    — Hayes Gardner, The Courier-Journal, 11 Nov. 2019
  • Sometimes, Reed drove coaches crazy by leaving a cornerback out to dry with one of his high-risk improvisations or lateraling the ball into no-man’s land.
    — Childs Walker, baltimoresun.com, 2 Aug. 2019
  • Jason King caught Taylor’s pass 10 yards downfield, was hit by a couple of defenders, then lateraled to a hustling Swen.
    — Mark Zeske, star-telegram, 3 Nov. 2017
  • On Sunday, Trufant made a diving interception on Rodgers and returned that lateraled pass for a touchdown.
    — Tim Rohan, SI.com, 18 Sep. 2017
  • As Vero Beach defenders tried to wrestle him to the ground, Schulz managed to lateral to teammate Tavarius Brundage who skirted around the left side and managed to find the end zone with Vero defensive back Jordan Crutchfield on his back.
    — Bill Daley, Miami Herald, 14 Dec. 2025

Some of 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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