Lateral may refer to:
- Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction
- Lateral canal, a canal built beside another stream
- Lateral consonant, an ℓ-like consonant in which air flows along the sides of the tongue
- Lateral hiring, recruiting that targets employees of another organization
- Lateral mark, a sea mark used in maritime pilotage to indicate the edge of a channel
- Lateral pass, a type of pass in American and Canadian football
- Lateral release, a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap
- Lateral release (phonetics), the release of a plosive consonant into a lateral consonant
- Lateral stability of aircraft during flight
- Lateral support, a type of physical support to help prevent sideways movement
- Lateral thinking, the solution of problems through an indirect and creative approach