The term "lateral" refers to something that is situated at the side or is related to the sides of an object or body. In anatomy, lateral describes positions away from the midline of the body. For example, the arms are lateral to the chest. In geometry, lateral can describe the sides of a shape, such as the lateral faces of a cube. In sports, lateral movements involve side-to-side actions, like in basketball or football, where players often move laterally to evade opponents or change direction.