sitter

noun

sit·​ter ˈsi-tər How to pronounce sitter (audio)
1
: one that sits: such as
a
: a person who sits for a portrait or a bust
Usually commissioned by the sitters themselves, some images straddle the line between individual portrait and genre scene …Naomi Rosenblum
b
: a person who takes care of someone or something in the place of a parent, owner, etc.
pet sitters
The next time you hire a sitter [=babysitter], remind your daughter what happened the last time and let her know that you are only a phone call away.John Rosemond
see also house sitter
2
a
: an easy target
a sitter for enemy submarines
b
sports : an easy scoring or fielding chance
… missed an absolute sitter in the 44th minute to keep the game scoreless.Jamie Goldberg

Examples of sitter in a Sentence

They hired a sitter so they could go out. we'll be going to the movie if we can get a sitter for the kids
Recent Examples on the Web Like the photographer Richard Avedon, Reiss often poses his sitters in white space, the better to see their faces and minds at work. Hilton Als, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 What won’t change: the complicity between artist and sitter. Mark Holgate, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 How much the sitter will be paid per task or per hour. Kristina Behr, Parents, 15 Feb. 2024 Portraits of sitters were drawn from dozens of images snapped by Warhol with a Polaroid camera. Victoria Dalkey, Sacramento Bee, 31 Jan. 2024 The mogul has a spring in her step and a sparking smile that Sargent would never have given a subject except for his Wertheimer sitters, who, as rich Jewish women, were less bound by standards of comportment. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 11 Jan. 2024 This woman wants parents to either get a baby sitter or stay at home. Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 9 Jan. 2024 Owners have to pick between RTO mandates and their pet Workers who own pets are being forced to make the tough choice between complying with their employer’s in-office mandates (and therefore either fork out for a dog sitter or give up their pet) or finding a more flexible role. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Jan. 2024 Anyone — including a sitter — could have offered it to the child. Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sitter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sitter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sitter

Cite this Entry

“Sitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sitter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sitter

noun
sit·​ter ˈsit-ər How to pronounce sitter (audio)
: one that sits
especially : a person who babysits

Biographical Definition

Sitter

biographical name

Sit·​ter ˈsi-tər How to pronounce Sitter (audio)
Willem de 1872–1934 Dutch astronomer

More from Merriam-Webster on sitter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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