Illustration of litter
- litter 1a
1
a
: a covered and curtained couch provided with shafts and used for carrying a single passenger
a litter carried on the shoulders of four men—
Edwin Tunis
Edwin Tunis
b
: a device (such as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
The wounded soldier was carried to the rear by litter.
2
a(1)
: material used as bedding for animals
Fibrous peat was used as litter for livestock.
(2)
: material used to absorb the urine and feces of animals
b
: the uppermost slightly decayed layer of organic matter on the forest floor
3
: the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal
a litter of puppies
4
a
: trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about
trying to clean up the roadside litter
b
: an untidy accumulation of objects
a shabby writing-desk covered with a litter of yellowish dusty documents—Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad
littered; littering; litters
1
2
: to give birth to a litter of (young)
3
a
: to strew with scattered articles
b
: to scatter about in disorder
c
: to lie about in disorder
their upside-down hats littered the top of the bar—Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon
d
: to mark with objects scattered at random
a book littered with misprints
Synonyms
Noun
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
Examples of litter in a Sentence
Noun
We decided to pick up the litter in the park.
Her desk was covered with a litter of legal documents.
Verb
Paper and popcorn littered the streets after the parade.
a desk littered with old letters and bills
It is illegal to litter.
He had to pay a fine for littering.
Recent Examples on the WebNatalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Volunteers can pick up litter, work on the Azalea Park Water Conservation Garden, restore park benches and tables, remove invasive plants and plant native species, or install interpretive signs.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant last week for the property north of Portland after the agency was tipped off about a resident freezing litters of puppies for snake food, according to a news release.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Shortly after promotional posters would be plastered on buildings, they would be torn down and thrown away by property owners or local officials because they were considered litter.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
The odd, nearly-blind organisms live secretive lives under the soil and leaf litter of South American forests and grasslands.
—Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024
But in that case the question becomes one of whether the state’s response to street harassment and litter should be to send in armed officers who can spark a violent confrontation.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
By 2012 Whiskers and male otter Lucius gave birth to the first litter of river otters at the Detroit Zoo in 50 years.
—Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024
A little seal is resting up after a dangerous run-in with ocean litter.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
But the narrow passageway from talent competition to bonafide star is littered with artists who never successfully made that transition.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024
My old office, meanwhile, was littered with dozens of boxes that had been brought up from A.M.I.’s offices in Boca Raton, Fla.
—Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Federal arrest dockets and court cases are littered with examples of postal employees stealing the keys, selling the keys or taking bribes in exchange for the keys.
—Nick Devlin, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
Much of the work shown in the exhibition is littered with fashion that explores cultural references with twists turned on their head.
—Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
The remainder of the Giants’ Opening Day lineup in San Diego against Yu Darvish was littered with their additions from this offseason.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
Clothes are piled on a bed and chair; the floor is littered with debris, computer equipment and trash.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
The state is littered with cameras displaying live feeds from the southeastern corner to the northwest tip of the Upper Peninsula.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
That could look like walking or biking to school, throwing out litter or choosing to recycle.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 4 Apr. 2024
Volunteers can pick up litter, work on the Azalea Park Water Conservation Garden, restore park benches and tables, remove invasive plants and plant native species, or install interpretive signs.
—Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office obtained a search warrant last week for the property north of Portland after the agency was tipped off about a resident freezing litters of puppies for snake food, according to a news release.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
Shortly after promotional posters would be plastered on buildings, they would be torn down and thrown away by property owners or local officials because they were considered litter.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024
The odd, nearly-blind organisms live secretive lives under the soil and leaf litter of South American forests and grasslands.
—Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024
But in that case the question becomes one of whether the state’s response to street harassment and litter should be to send in armed officers who can spark a violent confrontation.
—Frederick Kaufman, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
By 2012 Whiskers and male otter Lucius gave birth to the first litter of river otters at the Detroit Zoo in 50 years.
—Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024
A little seal is resting up after a dangerous run-in with ocean litter.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Examples of this are littered everywhere in the NFL.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 5 Apr. 2024
But the narrow passageway from talent competition to bonafide star is littered with artists who never successfully made that transition.
—Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024
My old office, meanwhile, was littered with dozens of boxes that had been brought up from A.M.I.’s offices in Boca Raton, Fla.
—Lachlan Cartwright, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Federal arrest dockets and court cases are littered with examples of postal employees stealing the keys, selling the keys or taking bribes in exchange for the keys.
—Nick Devlin, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2024
Much of the work shown in the exhibition is littered with fashion that explores cultural references with twists turned on their head.
—Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2024
The remainder of the Giants’ Opening Day lineup in San Diego against Yu Darvish was littered with their additions from this offseason.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2024
Clothes are piled on a bed and chair; the floor is littered with debris, computer equipment and trash.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024
The state is littered with cameras displaying live feeds from the southeastern corner to the northwest tip of the Upper Peninsula.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of litter was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing litter
Articles Related to litter
Dictionary Entries Near litter
Cite this Entry
“Litter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/litter. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
litter
1 of 2 noun
lit·ter
ˈlit-ər 
1
a
: a covered and curtained couch with poles to use for handles that is used for carrying a single passenger
b
: a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2
: material spread in areas where farm animals (as cows or chickens) are kept especially to absorb their urine and feces
3
: the young born to an animal at a single time
a litter of puppies
4
: a messy collection of things scattered about : rubbish
litter
2 of 2 verb1
: to give birth to young
2
a
: to cover with litter
b
: to scatter about in disorder
c
: to lie about in disorder
Medical Definition
litter
1 of 2 noun
lit·ter
ˈlit-ər
1
: a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2
: the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal
litter
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to give birth to a litter of (young)
: to give birth to a litter
More from Merriam-Webster on litter
Nglish: Translation of litter for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of litter for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about litter
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