Illustration of litter
- litter 1a
1
a
: a covered and curtained couch provided with shafts and used for carrying a single passenger
a litter carried on the shoulders of four men—
Edwin Tunis
Edwin Tunis
b
: a device (such as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
The wounded soldier was carried to the rear by litter.
2
a(1)
: material used as bedding for animals
Fibrous peat was used as litter for livestock.
(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
Joseph Conrad
littered; littering; litters
1
2
: to give birth to a litter of (young)
3
a
: to strew with scattered articles
b
: to scatter about in disorder
c
: to lie about in disorder
their upside-down hats littered the top of the bar—Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
d
: to mark with objects scattered at random
a book littered with misprints
Synonyms
Noun
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- 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
Examples of litter in a Sentence
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.
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Recent Examples on the WebLawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
Department crews typically go out and clean up litter prior to mowing season, but other programs help out too:
The Adopt-a-Highway program handles specific two-mile sections of the roadway along a state, federal or interstate route.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2023
Students should focus their video on the Keep Arkansas Beautiful mission of inspiring individuals to improve their communities by educating, preventing litter, promoting recycling and keeping Arkansas beautiful.
—Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2023
Large herbivores regulate nature’s fire systems by eating plant matter that fuels wildfires and turning over soil and vegetation litter as a result of their rummaging behavior.
—Curtis Abraham, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
Over the years, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has taken on a life of its own, becoming a signal for fall both beloved and mocked, and ushering in an era of pumpkin spice products, from cat litter to yogurt to beer.
—Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 23 Aug. 2023
Participants help clean up litter from the San Dieguito Watershed and keep it from going in the ocean.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2023
Tick prevention is particularly important when spending time in tick-prone areas, such as tall grasses, shrubs, and leaf litter, said Pritt.
—Julia Ries, Health, 9 Aug. 2023
In the late nineteen-nineties, a neuroscientist named Mark Blumberg stood in a lab at the University of Iowa watching a litter of sleeping rats.
—Amanda Gefter, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023
Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
Roads were littered with limbs and branches, and some were caked in mud.
—WSJ, 31 Aug. 2023
Law enforcement should enforce statutes against littering, wage theft, extortion and other behaviors that actually harm communities.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
For months, Etsy has become littered with a new genre of T-shirt: the Donald Trump mug shot.
—Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023
In addition to the 27 wineries in town, there are tasting rooms and vineyards littered throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
The history of the Cold War is littered with near misses.
—Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
But interstellar space is littered with opaque clouds of cosmic dust, tiny grains of rocky or sooty material that block our view of what lies beyond.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Aug. 2023
Down the hall from the head coach’s office overlooking Maverik Stadium, Utah State defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen glances down at a desk littered with play sheets, depth charts and assorted notes.
—Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Aug. 2023
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Noun
Green described wild pigs as opportunistic eaters that breed early, produce big litters and face no natural predators in Alabama, leaving them free to trash everything from pine seedlings to row crops.
—Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 13 Sep. 2023
Department crews typically go out and clean up litter prior to mowing season, but other programs help out too:
The Adopt-a-Highway program handles specific two-mile sections of the roadway along a state, federal or interstate route.
—Erin Couch, The Enquirer, 10 Sep. 2023
Students should focus their video on the Keep Arkansas Beautiful mission of inspiring individuals to improve their communities by educating, preventing litter, promoting recycling and keeping Arkansas beautiful.
—Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2023
Large herbivores regulate nature’s fire systems by eating plant matter that fuels wildfires and turning over soil and vegetation litter as a result of their rummaging behavior.
—Curtis Abraham, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023
Over the years, the Pumpkin Spice Latte has taken on a life of its own, becoming a signal for fall both beloved and mocked, and ushering in an era of pumpkin spice products, from cat litter to yogurt to beer.
—Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 23 Aug. 2023
Participants help clean up litter from the San Dieguito Watershed and keep it from going in the ocean.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2023
Tick prevention is particularly important when spending time in tick-prone areas, such as tall grasses, shrubs, and leaf litter, said Pritt.
—Julia Ries, Health, 9 Aug. 2023
In the late nineteen-nineties, a neuroscientist named Mark Blumberg stood in a lab at the University of Iowa watching a litter of sleeping rats.
—Amanda Gefter, The New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2023
Verb
The road to a 100 mph fastball is littered with ruptured ulnar collateral ligaments.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023
Roads were littered with limbs and branches, and some were caked in mud.
—WSJ, 31 Aug. 2023
Law enforcement should enforce statutes against littering, wage theft, extortion and other behaviors that actually harm communities.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023
For months, Etsy has become littered with a new genre of T-shirt: the Donald Trump mug shot.
—Amanda Hoover, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023
In addition to the 27 wineries in town, there are tasting rooms and vineyards littered throughout the Santa Ynez Valley.
—Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
The history of the Cold War is littered with near misses.
—Will Stephenson, Harper's Magazine, 16 Aug. 2023
But interstellar space is littered with opaque clouds of cosmic dust, tiny grains of rocky or sooty material that block our view of what lies beyond.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 4 Aug. 2023
Down the hall from the head coach’s office overlooking Maverik Stadium, Utah State defensive coordinator Joe Cauthen glances down at a desk littered with play sheets, depth charts and assorted notes.
—Kevin Reynolds, The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of litter was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing litter
Articles Related to litter
Dictionary Entries Near litter
Cite this Entry
“Litter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litter. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
litter
1 of 2 noun
lit·ter
ˈlit-ər 
1
a
: a covered and curtained couch with poles to use for handles that is used for carrying a single passenger
b
: a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2
: material spread in areas where farm animals (as cows or chickens) are kept especially to absorb their urine and feces
3
: the young born to an animal at a single time
a litter of puppies
4
: a messy collection of things scattered about : rubbish
litter
2 of 2 verb1
: to give birth to young
2
a
: to cover with litter
b
: to scatter about in disorder
c
: to lie about in disorder
Medical Definition
litter
1 of 2 noun
lit·ter
ˈlit-ər
1
: a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2
: the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal
litter
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to give birth to a litter of (young)
: to give birth to a litter
More from Merriam-Webster on litter
Nglish: Translation of litter for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of litter for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about litter
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