From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlaterallat‧e‧ral /ˈlætərəl/ adjective formal 1 SIDErelating to the sides of something, or movement to the side The wall is weak and requires lateral support.2 relating to positions, jobs, relationships etc that are at the same level or rank Employees can expect lateral moves to different departments, to gain experience. —laterally adverb
Examples from the Corpus
lateral• a lateral passFrom Longman Business Dictionarylaterallat‧e‧ral /ˈlætərəl/ adjective [only before a noun]HUMAN RESOURCES relating to the same level in an organizationSYNhorizontalAt best, the typical employee can expect a few promotions and a number of lateral moves.Origin lateral (1400-1500) Latin lateralis, from latus “side” 