plural litters
1
a
: things that have been thrown away and that are lying on the ground in a public place
We decided to pick up the litter in the park.
roadside litter
b
: a messy pile or group of things
Her desk was covered with a litter of legal documents.
2
a
: dry material that is spread in a container and used as a toilet by animals (especially cats) while they are indoors
cat/kitty litter
(chiefly US) a litter box = (Brit) a litter tray [=a container holding litter for a cat]
b
: soft and dry material (such as straw) that is spread on the ground for some animals (such as horses) to sleep on
3
: a group of young animals that are born at a single time
a litter of puppies/piglets
He was the runt of the litter. [=the smallest animal in the litter]
—often used figuratively in the phrase the pick of the litterOf all the cars on the market, this one is clearly the pick of the litter. [=the best one]
4
: a covered bed that has long poles on the bottom and that was used in the past for carrying a very important person
The emperor was carried to the palace on a litter.
litters; littered; littering
1
: to cover (a surface) with many things in an untidy way
Paper and popcorn littered the streets after the parade.
Leaves littered the forest floor. [=the forest floor was covered with leaves]
a desk littered with old letters and bills
—often used figurativelya landscape littered with ugly houses
Dirty words litter his vocabulary. [=his vocabulary includes many dirty words; he says a lot of dirty words]
The book is littered with errors. [=the book contains many errors]
2
: to throw or leave trash on the ground in a public place
It is illegal to litter.
He had to pay a fine for littering.
Cite this Entry
“Litter.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/litter. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.
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