leftover
Tomorrow's reheated lunch
Leftover describes what remains after the main use or event has passed.
Leftover food is what wasn't eaten at a meal.
Leftover funds are what remains in a budget.
As a noun, usually in the plural: We had leftovers for dinner.
The word can suggest something diminished or secondary—a leftover from an earlier era, a policy that's a leftover from the previous administration.
What stays after most goes
- residueMatter left behind
- remainsContinues in place
- restCessation of activity
- balanceSteadiness or amount owed
surplus · extra · spare · unused · remaining · excess · dregs · leavings
Surplus beyond need
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- overabundanceExcessive quantity beyond need
- glutExcessive surplus
- oversupplyExcess beyond demand
abundance · overflow · extra · spare · unused · stockpile · backlog · overage
Small remaining pieces
- reheatedMade food warm again
- meal-prepPreparing food in advance
- takeoutRestaurant food for elsewhere
- refrigeratedKept cold mechanically
microwaved · next-day · stale · portion · tupperware · container · hash · casserole
remnant
What stays after most goes
balance · surplus · extra · spare · unused · remaining · excess · dregs · leavings · scrap
excess
Surplus beyond need
- surplusAmount exceeding requirement
- overabundanceExcessive quantity beyond need
- glutExcessive surplus
oversupply · abundance · overflow · extra · spare · unused · stockpile · backlog · overage · redundancy
scraps
Small remaining pieces
refrigerated · microwaved · next-day · stale · portion · tupperware · container · hash · casserole · broth
relic
Preserved ancient object
vestige · legacy · holdover · carryover · hangover · echo · remains · survival · throwback · anachronism
upcycle
Creatively reuse discarded materials
salvage · reclaim · transform · meal-prep · reinvent · makeover · resourceful · thrifty · sustainability
- Remainderresidue, surplus, excess, balance, remnant
- remnantsremnant, residue, remainder, vestige, trace
- unusedunused, idle, untouched, vacant, empty
- unwantedreject, outcast, pariah, uninvited guest, intruder
- carryoversrollover, holdover, remainder, carryforward, surplus
- unsellablesunmarketable, deadstock, unsold goods, defective goods, damaged goods
- leftover riceCooked grain kept after