litter

noun lit·ter \ ˈli-tər \

Updated on: 14 Apr 2018

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

There is no running, there is no litter and there are no cell phones.

— tim layden, SI.com, "Patrick Reed Can't Be Denied as He Bucks Convention to Win at Augusta," 8 Apr. 2018
Residents said parish officials needed to curb litter, traffic and strip clubs in Fat City in order to promote economic redevelopment, according to a Metairie land use study commissioned at the time.

— littice bacon-blood, NOLA.com, "Restoration in Fat City: 10 exciting things happening in a once-derelict neighborhood," 5 Apr. 2018
Cats feel vulnerable when using a litter box and want to be able to see around them.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Even the naughtiest cat listens to this whisperer," 23 Mar. 2018
Authorities say the body was found in a trash bag in a plastic container filled with cat litter, in a crawl space under steps leading to the second floor.

— Fox News, "Dead infant found in crawl space of home, parents charged," 21 Mar. 2018
White round antennas litter the landscape, while the fauna of Australia meander around the 20-story-high pedestals.

— shannon stirone, Longreads, "Welcome to the Center of the Universe," 15 Mar. 2018
And then there are species that are very cryptic and live down in the leaf litter.

— james gorman, New York Times, "These Spiders Hunt Their Own Kind," 6 Mar. 2018
The pair then hid Grace’s body in cat litter until October, when police came to the house asking questions.

— erin mccarthy, Philly.com, "Jacob Sullivan returns to Bucks County Court for hearing in rape-murder of Grace Packer," 23 Jan. 2018
This sweet and loving little boy is completely litter trained, and would do well with feline companions or as someone's one and only.

— laura bruck, cleveland.com, "Blue-Eyed Frankie is waiting to sing a song of joy for his new family," 14 Jan. 2018

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

Her pages were littered with strange workout videos, vegan cooking tutorials mixed with graphic animal abuse videos.

— Fox News, "YouTube shooter went to gun range before rampage, family did not warn about violence, officials say," 4 Apr. 2018
The government had recently increased the military presence in the desert, which was littered with tanks.

— alexia underwood, Vox, "Sisi won Egypt’s election. That doesn’t mean he’s safe.," 3 Apr. 2018
Aside from the immense cost required to attend the festival (easily, thousands of dollars), what struck me most were the sculptures littered across the desert.

— james tarmy, Bloomberg.com, "The Smithsonian’s Burning Man Art Show Is Actually Quite Good," 30 Mar. 2018
The story asks you to accept the salvation of OASIS from becoming a place run by suits and littered in ads as the triumph of all time.

— andrew moseman, Popular Mechanics, "Push the Red Button, Parzival," 30 Mar. 2018
Outside the buildings, the ground was littered with cigarette butts, candy wrappers, broken glass, and whatever else was blown up from the gutters or thrown out of the windows.

— michael a. gonzales, The Root, "Roses," 25 Mar. 2018
Tass new agency reported that 172 gold bars, which is about 3.4 tons of gold, were found littered across the runway.

— USA TODAY, "Make it rain: Gold bars worth millions fall from plane over Russia," 16 Mar. 2018
The ice was littered with sticks and gloves, as Keller grabbed two American flags.

— jeff seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Olympics 2018: Farmington Hills' Keller watches hockey gold from box," 22 Feb. 2018
The fourth period was just littered with maddening moments.

— robert avery, Houston Chronicle, "South Houston drops bi-district showdown with Mustangs," 20 Feb. 2018

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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litter

Definition of litter

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LITTER Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of litter for English Language Learners

litter

Definition of litter for English Language Learners

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litter

medical Definition of litter

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