Noun
We decided to pick up the litter in the park.
Her desk was covered with a litter of legal documents. Verb
Paper and popcorn littered the streets after the parade.
a desk littered with old letters and bills
It is illegal to litter.
He had to pay a fine for littering.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Chameleons live in warmer environments on trees or bushes, while salamanders thrive in moist habitats, including leaf litter and caves.—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025 On Reddit's popular r/cats forum, the foster posted a picture of Fleece, the smallest of the litter, alongside her much-larger brother, Flannel.—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Israeli special forces, ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the attack site where bloodstained pavements were littered with shattered glass from bus windows damaged in the shooting.—Billy Stockwell, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025 Rubble litters the ground at an apartment that was damaged in an Israeli airstrike at the Chamran residential complex, which killed at least 60 people including children on the first day of war on June 13, in Tehran on July 19, 2025.—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for litter
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie
Share