litter

[lit-er]

noun

1. objects strewn or scattered about; scattered rubbish.

2. a condition of disorder or untidiness.

   We were appalled at the litter of the room.

   Synonyms: clutter

3. a number of young brought forth by a multiparous animal at one birth.

   a litter of six kittens.

4. a framework of cloth stretched between two parallel bars, for the transportation of a sick or wounded person; stretcher.

5. a vehicle carried by people or animals, consisting of a bed or couch, often covered and curtained, suspended between shafts.

6. straw, hay, or the like, used as bedding for animals or as protection for plants.

7. the layer of slightly decomposed organic material on the surface of the floor of the forest.

8. cat litter.

verb (used with object)

1. to strew (a place) with scattered objects, rubbish, etc..

   to be fined for littering the sidewalk.

2. to scatter (objects) in disorder.

   They littered their toys from one end of the playroom to the other.

   Synonyms: derange, disarrange

3. to be strewn about (a place) in disorder (often followed byup ).

   Bits of paper littered the floor.

4. to give birth to (young), as a multiparous animal.

5. to supply (an animal) with litter for a bed.

6. to use (straw, hay, etc.) for litter.

7. to cover (a floor or other area) with straw, hay, etc., for litter.

verb (used without object)

1. to give birth to a litter.

   The cat had littered in the closet.

2. to strew objects about.

   If you litter, you may be fined.

litter

/ ˈlɪtə /

noun

1. 1. small refuse or waste materials carelessly dropped, esp in public places

   2. ( as modifier )

      litter bin

2. a disordered or untidy condition or a collection of objects in this condition

3. a group of offspring produced at one birth by a mammal such as a sow

4. a layer of partly decomposed leaves, twigs, etc, on the ground in a wood or forest

5. straw, hay, or similar material used as bedding, protection, etc, by animals or plants

6. See cat litter

7. a means of conveying people, esp sick or wounded people, consisting of a light bed or seat held between parallel sticks

verb

1. to make (a place) untidy by strewing (refuse)

2. to scatter (objects, etc) about or (of objects) to lie around or upon (anything) in an untidy fashion

3. (of pigs, cats, etc) to give birth to (offspring)

4. (tr) to provide (an animal or plant) with straw or hay for bedding, protection, etc

Other Word Forms

• litterer noun
• antilitter adjective
• antilittering adjective
• de-litter verb (used with object)
• unlittered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of litter¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English litere “bed, litter,” from Anglo-French; Old French litiere, from Medieval Latin lectāria, equivalent to Latin lect(us) “bed” + -āria feminine of -ārius noun suffix; -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of litter¹

C13 (in the sense: bed): via Anglo-French, ultimately from Latin lectus bed

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. pick of the litter,

   1. the best or choicest of the animals, especially puppies, in a litter.

   2. the best of any class, group, or available selection.

Synonym Study

See brood.

Example Sentences

Nearly half, or 46 percent, ends up in landfills, while 17 percent is incinerated and 22 percent is mismanaged and becomes litter.

Read more on Barron's

Visitors to California’s Joshua Tree National Park littered, camped illegally, drove off-road and even cut down some trees, park advocates say.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On blustery afternoons, my street’s geography sends every scrap of airborne litter to my curb: candy wrappers, Styrofoam peanuts and Trader Joe’s receipts that reveal too much about the neighbors’ taquitos intake.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As Dr Elizabeth Duncan says: "Unfortunately, they do compete with and can outcompete some native ladybird species, but they like to overwinter in different environments - harlequins in our homes and seven-spots in leaf litter."

Read more on BBC

He says his first instinct was to make his way south to the kibbutz, a journey down roads he would soon see littered with bodies, wrecked cars and terrified people seeking shelter.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• clutter 
• junk 
• muck 
• rubbish 
• trash