litter

noun lit·ter \ ˈli-tər \

Definition of litter

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

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

—

littery

play \ˈli-tə-rē\ adjective

See litter defined for English-language learners

See litter defined for kids

Examples of litter in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of litter from the Web

Litters typically include four to six piglets, but range from one to 12, according to the Cooperative Extension System.

— dennis pillion | dpillion@al.com, AL.com, "Bullets alone can't solve Alabama's feral hog problem," 6 Aug. 2017
The contents of the barrels were volatile and so needed to be seasoned with, believe it or not, kitty litter.

— michael lewis, The Hive, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 2 Aug. 2017
As part of her contract for the pregnancy with the couple, the surrogate must abstain from drinking, smoking, using drugs, going into hot tubs or saunas, eating raw fish, and handling cat litter, Us Weekly reports.

— nick vadala, Philly.com, "Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to welcome third child next year via surrogate," 26 July 2017
Preston says that putting the litter box in a catio has been a major selling point.

— cole kazdin, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Catio Is a Patio for Your Cat Because You Win, Cats. You Win.," 24 July 2017
Nice try but your first love is Satan (AKA Allah) and your second love is to a litter box your ‘people’ come from.

— claire landsbaum, The Cut, "Arizona Senate Candidate Attacked Online for Her Muslim Faith," 19 July 2017
In truth, Donald Trump is just Fredo Sr., who begat a litter of younger, even less competent Fredos.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Donald Trump Jr. Really the Fredo of His Family? An Investigation," 11 July 2017
The neighborhood concerns run the gamut: Worries about traffic, noise, litter and vagrancy, and fears for the property's fate if Dunkin' were to pull out.

— john sharp, AL.com, "Dunkin' Donuts project thwarted in Alabama neighborhood where Krispy Kreme once ruled," 10 July 2017
Bentonite drilling mud is the same material used in cat litter.

— andrew maykuth, Philly.com, "Water-contamination complaints force Sunoco to suspend Chesco pipeline construction," 7 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'litter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of litter

Origin and Etymology of litter

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

litter Synonyms

Other Vehicles Terms

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

litter

verb

Definition of litter

transitive verb

1 :bed 1a

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

d :to mark with objects scattered at random

a book littered with misprints

intransitive verb

1 :to give birth to a litter

2 :to strew litter

See litter defined for English-language learners

Examples of litter in a Sentence

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 of litter from the Web

The town is dry in parts but wind-battered and littered with downed power lines and tilting utility poles in others.

— manny fernandez, New York Times, "Where Hurricane Harvey Made Landfall, Tough Texans Begin to Clear the Wreckage," 27 Aug. 2017
On Snapchat, the actress posted a photo of herself rocking a bikini top littered with hundred-dollar bills.

— alyssa hardy, Teen Vogue, "Bella Thorne Wears Money Bikini on Snapchat," 21 Aug. 2017
STORY OF THE DAY The team sessions were littered with picks and near-picks.

— terez a. paylor, kansascity, "Deflections and near-interceptions rule Chiefs’ 10th practice," 7 Aug. 2017
Donald Trump’s speech in front of law enforcement officials last Friday was littered with dubious claims.

— sean mesidor, Essence.com, "Donald Trump Lies About A Lot Of Things, But This One Went Too Far," 4 Aug. 2017
Instead of being rarities that almost inevitably harm health, mutations litter the human genome.

— carrie arnold, Ars Technica, "The uncertain future of genetic testing," 18 July 2017
Heavy combat has also littered the city with unexploded ordnance such as artillery shells and hand grenades.

— thomas gibbons-neff and louisa loveluck, Washington Post, "It could take more than a decade to clear Mosul of explosives, U.S. officials say," 13 July 2017
My mother's home is littered with photos of my brother and me in smocked bubbles, blond bowls of hair distracting from the black-and-white saddle oxfords hugging my feet.

— travis m. andrews, Southern Living, "The Royal Baby Proves All Southerners Are Basically Royalty," 11 July 2017
But officers were directed toward the dispensary and found the sidewalk and a nearby parking lot littered with broken jars of medical marijuana and other products.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Pot dispensary worker shoots robber, Chula Vista police seek 2 who escaped," 30 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of litter

see ¹litter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

LITTER Defined for English Language Learners

litter

noun

Definition of litter for English Language Learners

: things that have been thrown away and that are lying on the ground in a public place
: a messy pile or group of things
: dry material that is spread in a container and used as a toilet by animals (especially cats) while they are indoors

litter

verb

Definition of litter for English Language Learners

: to cover (a surface) with many things in an untidy way
: to throw or leave trash on the ground in a public place

LITTER Defined for Kids

litter

noun lit·ter \ ˈli-tər \

Definition of litter for Students

1 :the young born to an animal at a single time

a litter of pigs

2 :a messy collection of things scattered about :trash We picked up the litter in our neighborhood.

3 :material used to soak up the urine and feces of animals

4 :a covered and curtained couch having poles and used for carrying a single passenger

5 :a stretcher for carrying a sick or wounded person

History for litter

The different meanings of the word litter all grew out of the basic notion “bed.” In Old French, litiere, a derivative of lit, “bed,” could refer to a sleeping place in a general way, but it was more typically applied to either a curtained portable couch, or to straw spread on the ground as a sleeping place for animals. In borrowing the word, English kept both usages and added new ones. The “bedding for animals” sense was extended to the offspring of an animal such as a dog. In a different direction, litter became not just straw for animal bedding, but straw or similar material spread around for any purpose, and by the 1700s any odds and ends of rubbish lying scattered about.

litter

verb

Definition of litter for Students

littered; littering

1 :to throw or leave trash on the ground

2 :to cover in an untidy way

Leaves littered the yard.

Medical Dictionary

litter

noun lit·ter \ ˈlit-ər \

medical Definition of litter

1 :a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person

2 :the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal

litter

transitive verb

medical Definition of litter

:to give birth to a litter of (young)

intransitive verb

:to give birth to a litter

Learn More about litter

See words that rhyme with litter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for litter Spanish Central: Translation of 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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