Here you’ll find 12 Prepositions that start with L, organized from “lacking” to “low on”. Most are single words or familiar multi-word phrases used to show place, time, cause, direction, or possession.
Prepositions that start with L are words or short phrases that link nouns to other sentence elements. Many, like “like” and “lacking”, trace back to earlier English forms and now serve broad grammatical roles.
Below you’ll find the table with Preposition, Definition, Common pairings, and Example.
Preposition: The actual word or phrase; you scan this column to find the term you need.
Definition: A concise meaning that lets you check how the preposition links ideas in a sentence.
Common pairings: Typical collocations and complements showing which nouns, verbs, or adjectives commonly appear with it.
Example: One clear sentence demonstrating everyday usage so you can see the preposition in context.
Prepositions that start with L
| Preposition | Definition | Common pairings | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| like | Similar to; in the manner of; used for comparisons or examples. | this, that, him, a friend, an example | She sings like her mother at family gatherings. |
| less | Excepting; minus; indicating exclusion or subtraction from a whole amount. | tax, total, price, profits | The bill, less tax, came to $120. |
| less than | Indicating a smaller amount, degree, or extent compared with something else. | expected, ten miles, five dollars, ideal | She arrived less than ten minutes ago. |
| left of | On or toward the left side or relative left position of something. | the line, center, me, the stage, diagram | The lamp sits left of the couch. |
| left to | Assigned or remaining in someone’s control or responsibility; entrusted to. | chance, me, fate, us, the committee | The decision was left to the committee. |
| leeward of | On or toward the sheltered side away from the wind’s direction. | the island, the ship, the coast, the harbor | The boat anchored leeward of the island. |
| lacking | Without; in the absence of; used to indicate something missing. | evidence, funds, experience, confidence, proof | Lacking evidence, the case could not proceed. |
| lacking in | Deficient in; not having an expected quality or amount or characteristic. | confidence, experience, variety, flavor, skill | The dish was lacking in flavor and freshness. |
| low on | Having a small remaining amount of something; nearly out of. | cash, sugar, patience, gas, time | We’re low on milk; could you buy some? |
| like unto | Similar to; in the manner of (archaic or biblical usage). | the king, a shepherd, that image, the description | He spoke like unto a prophet in the story. |
| long before | Well in advance of a particular time; considerably earlier than. | the war, dawn, the meeting, his arrival | Long before dawn, the fishermen were already out. |
| long after | At a considerable time following a specified event or period. | the event, the party, his death, graduation | Long after the show ended, people kept talking. |