sitter

noun

sit·​ter ˈsi-tər 

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

Synonyms of sitter

• nanny
• nurse

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

While under the care of a pet sitter, Chai ingested a piece of plastic from a food wrapper. —Ryan Brennan march 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 Mar. 2026

Chai died at age 5 while under the care of a pet sitter. —Ryan Brennan march 4, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2026

Finding dedicated tree-sitters, ones who would come back, even once the novelty had worn off and the legal risk began mounting, was a challenge. —Robert Moor, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026

So much of the mystique of portraiture is defined by the grade and quality of the intimacy between sitter and photographer. —Bryan Barcena, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sitter

• bed-sitter
• house sitter

Rhymes for sitter

• bitter
• critter
• fitter
• fritter
• glitter
• hitter
• jitter
• knitter
• litter
• quitter
• ritter
• splitter

Kids Definition

sitter

noun

sit·​ter ˈsit-ər 

: one that sits

especially : a person who babysits

Biographical Definition

Sitter

biographical name

Sit·​ter ˈsi-tər 

Willem de 1872–1934 Dutch astronomer