litter

¹lit·ter

noun \ˈli-tər\

Definition of LITTER

1

a : a covered and curtained couch provided with shafts and used for carrying a single passenger b : a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person

2

a (1) : material used as bedding for animals (2) : material used to absorb the urine and feces of animals b : the uppermost slightly decayed layer of organic matter on the forest floor

3

: the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal <a litter of puppies>

4

a : trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about <trying to clean up the roadside litter> b : an untidy accumulation of objects <a shabby writing-desk covered with a litter of yellowish dusty documents — Joseph Conrad>

— lit·tery \-tə-rē\ adjective

Examples of LITTER

1. We decided to pick up the litter in the park.
2. Her desk was covered with a litter of legal documents.

Illustration of LITTER

Origin of LITTER

Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to LITTER

Synonyms: agglomerate, agglomeration, alphabet soup, assortment, botch, clutter, collage, crazy quilt, farrago, gallimaufry, grab bag, gumbo, hash, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, jambalaya, jumble, jungle, miscellany, macédoine, medley, mélange, menagerie, miscellanea, mishmash, mixed bag, montage, motley, muddle, olio, olla podrida, omnium-gatherum, pastiche, patchwork, patchwork quilt, potpourri, ragbag, ragout, rummage, salad, salmagundi, scramble, shuffle, smorgasbord, stew, tumble, variety, welter

Related Words: detritus, notions, oddments, odds and ends, sundries; accumulation, aggregate, aggregation, conglomerate, conglomeration; catchall; admixture, alloy, amalgam, blend, combination, commixture, composite, compound, fusion, intermixture, mix-up; bollix, chaos, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, dog's breakfast [chiefly British], mess, morass, muddle, shambles; imbroglio, knot, snarl, tangle

Near Antonyms: catch, gem, goody (or goodie), jewel, pearl, plum, prize, treasure, treasure trove, trove, valuable; booty, find, salvage

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Other Vehicles Terms

brougham, hansom, shay, skid, sledge, sulky, wain

Rhymes with LITTER

bitter, chitter, critter, fitter, flitter, fritter, glitter, hitter, jitter, knitter, quitter, quittor, sitter, skitter, slitter, spitter, titter, twitter