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

In his work, Hujar returned again and again to the spiritual life of his sitters—an invisible presence in his images. — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

Madly sentient guts spill from the sitter’s back in swollen rivulets. — Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026

Equipping your sitter to stick as closely as possible to your pet’s routine while you’re gone will go a long way toward increasing your pet’s comfort. — Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026

Gauff netted a forehand sitter (below), before Muchová slipped as a Gauff passing shot whizzed past her. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 July 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