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# lateral

«lateral» in Mova's school dictionary: **to do with the side or sides; moving sideways** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 3 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (lateral); noun (a lateral — in some sports)

### meaning for a pupil

1) Lateral means to do with the side or sides; moving sideways. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#m1)

2) Lateral thinking means solving problems in a new, clever way instead of the usual step-by-step way. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In maths, the lateral faces of a prism or pyramid are the side faces (not the bases). In science and PE, lateral movement is sideways. Puzzles in class may need lateral thinking. Phrases: «lateral thinking», «lateral movement», «lateral faces».

### examples

- A square pyramid has four lateral faces. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#x1)
- Crabs move with a lateral walk. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#x2)
- This riddle needs lateral thinking. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#x3)
- Find the lateral surface area of the cylinder. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#x4)
- The fish has a lateral line along its side to sense movement. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#x5)
- The goalkeeper made a quick lateral dive. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/#x6)

### note

Formal/technical; everyday: «sideways». Lateral faces are the side faces only; total surface area adds the bases.

### In the corpora

- [Lateral reading means checking a website by opening a new tab and reading what others say about it.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/35-how-to-check-who-how-who-else/9/)
- [A line of special cells along each side, the lateral line, feels the smallest movements in the water.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/74-fish-frogs-reptiles/3/)
- [The lateral line along a fish's side feels movements in the water.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/74-fish-frogs-reptiles/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «lateral» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/lateral/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.