left field

American  

noun

1. Baseball.

   1. the area of the outfield to the left of center field, as viewed from home plate.

   2. the position of the player covering this area.

2. Slang. a position or circumstance that is remote from an ordinary or general trend.

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idioms

1. out in left field, completely mistaken; wrong.

left-field British  

adjective

1. informal regarded as being outside the mainstream; unconventional

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left field More Idioms  

1. see out in left field.

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Etymology

Origin of left field

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

Trout almost ended the pitchers’ duel in the bottom of the sixth inning after sharply hitting a fly ball to left field but Arozarena tracked it down.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

During the 2025 World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, he played every game, mostly in left field.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

Certainly, he will be an improvement over Michael Conforto, and allow Teoscar Hernandez to go back to left field.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

But Chalamet's final pick of someone who demonstrated British greatness comes totally out of left field.

From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025

I could tell he felt bad about me thinking that, but it's not like I was just coming from left field with this whole thing.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• disproportionate
• improper
• incorrect
• irrelevant
• tasteless
• unseemly
• unsuitable
• wrong