sit

verb

\ ˈsit

sat\ ˈsat

\; sitting

Definition of sit

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to rest on the buttocks or haunches sit in a chair —often used with down

b : perch, roost

2 : to occupy a place as a member of an official body sit in Congress

3 : to hold a session : be in session for official business

4 : to cover eggs for hatching : brood

5a : to take a position for having one's portrait painted or for being photographed

b : to serve as a model

6 archaic : to have one's dwelling place : dwell

7a : to lie or hang relative to a wearer the collar sits awkwardly

b : to affect one with or as if with weight the food sat heavily on his stomach

8 : lie, rest a kettle sitting on the stove

9a : to have a location the house sits well back from the road

b of wind : to blow from a certain direction

10 : to remain inactive or quiescent the car sits in the garage

11 : to take an examination

12 : babysit

13 : to please or agree with one —used with with and an adverb the decision did not sit well with me

transitive verb

1 : to cause to be seated : place on or in a seat —often used with down

2 : to sit on (eggs)

3 : to keep one's seat on sit a horse

4 : to provide seats or seating room for

sit on

1 : to hold deliberations concerning

2 : repress, squelch

3 : to delay action or decision concerning

4 : to wait or be ready for (a specific pitch) in baseball

sit on one's hands

1 : to withhold applause : fail to show approval or enthusiasm

2 : to fail to take expected or appropriate action

sit pretty

: to be in a highly favorable situation

sit tight

1 : to maintain one's position without change

2 : to remain quiet in or as if in hiding

sit under

: to attend religious service under the instruction or ministrations of also : to attend the classes or lectures of

sit

noun

Definition of sit (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : the manner in which a garment fits

2 : an act or period of sitting

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about sit

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Examples of sit in a Sentence

Verb

He was sitting in a chair next to the window. She sat across from me during dinner. The children sat cross-legged on the floor playing a game. Are you going to sit there and watch TV all day? Don't just sit there—do something! She walked around the table and sat across from me. She sat the toddler in the chair. The cat likes to sit by the window. The bird sat on the ledge. The limousine is sitting outside.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In the video, Stormi sits patiently while mom brushes her hair into sections. — Leah Prinzivalli, Teen Vogue, "Kylie Jenner Is Learning How to Style Daughter Stormi’s Hair," 9 Apr. 2019 The ancient temple, like City of God Temple, sits amongst modern, commercial buildings, making the visit much more intimate. — Adrienne Faurote, Marie Claire, "The Instagram Guide to Shanghai, China," 5 Apr. 2019 Let the mixture sit until thickened, about 2 minutes. — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, "Sakara Brings Healthy Eating Home With Their New Made-for-Instagram Cookbook," 19 Mar. 2019 The two chips sit alongside one another, meaning that smartphone vendors have to design larger, bulkier, more power-hungry phones to accommodate them both. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Qualcomm's next Snapdragon chip suggests 2020 really will be the year of 5G phones," 25 Feb. 2019 Transfer chicken to refrigerator and let sit, uncovered, at least 2 hours. — Kathleen Squires, WSJ, "How to Host a Dinner Like a Pro," 14 Feb. 2019 Emma McIntyreGetty Images Jordyn Woods is about to sit down with Jada Pinkett Smith—and potentially Jada's daughter and cohost Willow Smith—to talk about all things Khloe Kardashian-Tristan Thompson-Kylie Jenner related. — Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, "How Do Jordyn Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Know Each Other?," 1 Mar. 2019 Sweep your left leg out from under you and sit down with your leg extended. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "How to Do a Turkish Get-up," 8 Feb. 2019 Made from the thousands of surplus containers that sit on docks around the world, shipping container houses can be an eco-friendly alternative to traditional building materials. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The 5 best shipping container houses of 2018," 27 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The sit-in protests that began in the 1960s resulted in the formation of the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC), which traces its own roots to training sessions at Highlander. — Lucy Diavolo, Teen Vogue, "A Fire at the Highlander Center Won’t Stop this Legendary Civil Rights Movement Training Organization," 10 Apr. 2019 She’s set up internships (not the getting-coffee kind, but the sit-in-on-big-meetings-and-see-how-a-company-works kind) at creative companies like design firm Ideo and is advising entrepreneurs and young companies on strategy. — Stephanie Clifford, Marie Claire, "Beth Comstock on How to Survive Losing Your Job," 15 Jan. 2019 The living room leads to an elevated kitchen that has enough space for a sit-in dining area. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "The modern farmhouse goes tiny," 26 Nov. 2018 The group that staged the sit-in previously chained itself to the gold railing outside the Senate chamber. — Rick Pearson, chicagotribune.com, "Equal Rights Amendment approval comes 36 years after raucous Capitol protests," 1 June 2018 Four students at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro launched the sit-in movement at a nearby lunch counter. — Maya Rhodan, Time, "A New Era of Protest Is Energizing Historically Black Colleges and Universities. But There Are Challenges," 22 May 2018 In a sit-in tent camp near the Gaza border with Israel, a lecturer answered questions from activists grappling with the concept of non-violent protest. — Fox News, "Gaza's Hamas embraces 'non-violence' _ opportunism or shift?," 26 Apr. 2018 Several community members held a sit-in protest Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the Waffle House where the incident took place. — Connor Sheets, AL.com, "Outrage growing over black woman's arrest in Alabama Waffle House by white police officers," 22 Apr. 2018 In a separate development Monday, supporters of Turkey’s main opposition party staged sit-in demonstrations across the country to protest the state of emergency that was declared after a coup attempt in 2016. — Mehmet Guzel, BostonGlobe.com, "US pastor denies terror links, spying in Turkish court," 16 Apr. 2018

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

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Last Updated

13 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for sit

The first known use of sit was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for sit

sit

verb

English Language Learners Definition of sit

: to be in a position in which your bottom is resting on a chair, the ground, etc., especially with your back upright

: to begin to sit : to put yourself in a sitting position

: to cause (someone) to be seated : to put (someone) in a sitting position

See the full definition for sit in the English Language Learners Dictionary

sit

verb

\ ˈsit

sat\ ˈsat \; sitting

Kids Definition of sit

1 : to rest upon the part of the body where the hips and legs join : to rest on the buttocks or hindquarters We sat and waited on a bench. The dog sat by the fire.

2 : to put the buttocks down on a surface I sat down to write a letter.

3 : to cause to be seated He sat the baby in the chair.

4 : perch entry 2 The bird sat on a branch.

5 : to be located or stay in a place or position A vase sits on the table.

6 : to provide seats for The car sits five.

7 : to hold a place as a member of an official group She was elected to sit in Congress.

8 : to hold a session The court sat last month.

9 : to pose for a portrait or photograph

10 : babysit