litter
objects strewn or scattered about; scattered rubbish.
a condition of disorder or untidiness: We were appalled at the litter of the room.
a number of young brought forth by a multiparous animal at one birth: a litter of six kittens.
a framework of cloth stretched between two parallel bars, for the transportation of a sick or wounded person; stretcher.
a vehicle carried by people or animals, consisting of a bed or couch, often covered and curtained, suspended between shafts.
straw, hay, or the like, used as bedding for animals or as protection for plants.
the layer of slightly decomposed organic material on the surface of the floor of the forest.
to strew (a place) with scattered objects, rubbish, etc.: to be fined for littering the sidewalk.
to scatter (objects) in disorder: They littered their toys from one end of the playroom to the other.
to be strewn about (a place) in disorder (often followed by up): Bits of paper littered the floor.
to give birth to (young), as a multiparous animal.
to supply (an animal) with litter for a bed.
to use (straw, hay, etc.) for litter.
to cover (a floor or other area) with straw, hay, etc., for litter.
to give birth to a litter: The cat had littered in the closet.
to strew objects about: If you litter, you may be fined.
Idioms about litter
pick of the litter,
the best or choicest of the animals, especially puppies, in a litter.
the best of any class, group, or available selection.
Origin of litter
1synonym study For litter
Other words for litter
2 | clutter |
9 | mess (up) |
10 | disarrange, derange |
Other words from litter
- lit·ter·er, noun
- an·ti·lit·ter, adjective
- an·ti·lit·ter·ing, adjective
- de-litter, verb (used with object)
- un·lit·tered, adjective
Words that may be confused with litter
Words Nearby litter
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use litter in a sentence
No more scooping litter twice a day, no more cluttering your living room with a clunky litter box.
Toilet training your cat isn’t as great as it sounds | Candice Wang | August 27, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThis includes the cat’s routine of stepping into sandy-textured litter, doing its business, and burying the waste.
Toilet training your cat isn’t as great as it sounds | Candice Wang | August 27, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe discs can be covered with kitty litter to make your cat feel at home, perched on top of the toilet.
Toilet training your cat isn’t as great as it sounds | Candice Wang | August 27, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThey aren’t texting their litter mates to catch up and swiping around on the furry equivalent of Bumble.
How to help your pet with separation anxiety | Sara Kiley Watson | August 26, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThis is essentially an extra-strength garbage bag sprinkled with a proprietary mix of kitty litter for humans, which makes your waste solid, less stinky, and OK to deposit in a trash can.
We coo over how cute our cat is and minimize the drudgery of cleaning the litter box.
According to Swiss press reports, younger cats in the litter are the most tender and, as such, are the preferred cat cuts.
Will the Swiss Quit Cooking their Kittens and Puppies? | Barbie Latza Nadeau | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou'd think that when you get the pick of the litter, the litter would be great.
Remember when Chandler was sexually attracted to sharks and Phoebe raised a litter of baby rats?
He would always be throwing litter out the window and I would have to pick it up.
How Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig Pulled Off Their Most Dramatic Roles Yet | Kevin Fallon | September 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe plain furniture was stiffly arranged, and there was no litter of clothing or small feminine belongings.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonLet my litter be prepared, and send men on horseback to provide relays of carriers every ten miles.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThe exact mode in which the manure is to be managed must greatly depend on whether the supply of litter is large or small.
Elements of Agricultural Chemistry | Thomas AndersonThere is an old mother hog that has gotten quite wild, and has a litter of young ones with her that are hard to catch.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonA piece of strong iron wire, which lay among the other litter, was inserted in a narrow slot, apparently a crack in the stone.
Dope | Sax Rohmer
British Dictionary definitions for litter
/ (ˈlɪtə) /
small refuse or waste materials carelessly dropped, esp in public places
(as modifier): litter bin
a disordered or untidy condition or a collection of objects in this condition
a group of offspring produced at one birth by a mammal such as a sow
a layer of partly decomposed leaves, twigs, etc, on the ground in a wood or forest
straw, hay, or similar material used as bedding, protection, etc, by animals or plants
See cat litter
a means of conveying people, esp sick or wounded people, consisting of a light bed or seat held between parallel sticks
to make (a place) untidy by strewing (refuse)
to scatter (objects, etc) about or (of objects) to lie around or upon (anything) in an untidy fashion
(of pigs, cats, etc) to give birth to (offspring)
(tr) to provide (an animal or plant) with straw or hay for bedding, protection, etc
Origin of litter
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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