litter

American  

[lit-er] / ˈlɪt ər /

noun

• litters
  plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

• litters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• littered,
  past participle,  past
• littering
  present participle

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)

• litters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• littered,
  past participle,  past
• littering
  present participle

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.

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.

litter British  

/ 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

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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

Synonym Usage

See brood.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• litters
  plural

Participles

• littering
  present
• littered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• litter
  simple
• litters
  simple
• have littered
  perfect
• has littered
  perfect
• am littering
  progressive
• are littering
  progressive
• is littering
  progressive
• have been littering
  perfect progressive
• has been littering
  perfect progressive

Past

• littered
  simple
• had littered
  perfect
• was littering
  progressive
• were littering
  progressive
• had been littering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will litter
  simple
• will have littered
  perfect
• will be littering
  progressive
• will have been littering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of litter

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; see -er ²

Explanation

If everyone decided to litter, or drop trash on the ground, the world would be covered in garbage. Litter doesn't always have to be trashy though. When a cat has kittens, they are born as a litter. Don't be confused when you go to England and see the word litter written all over garbage cans. That's just the Brits' way of saying trash. The word litter comes from the Old French litiere meaning "bed." Animals like dogs or cats have their offspring all in one birth, or on the same bed, making what we call a litter, or group of babies.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

litter litters littered littering

The extra tax revenue also gave the state additional wiggle room as it funded discretionary items ranging from new courthouses to litter abatement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Construction equipment and safety barriers litter the block.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The research was part-funded by a party planner, who wanted to reduce the impact of balloon litter on marine wildlife.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

People sprinkled cat litter, got mats out of their own vehicles to place under the tires.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

School is closed for something called “professional development” on Thursday, so I head out with my gear for an afternoon of litter collecting.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

"While it is always heartbreaking to lose a young animal, sadly this is not uncommon in large cat litters," said Richard Langston, head of carnivores at Howletts.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

It is the only other highly ranked "monotocous" species, meaning it typically produces a single offspring per pregnancy rather than litters.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 22, 2026

Lunar base inhabitants might also require metal and they could even harvest this from the dusty grey debris that litters the lunar surface.

From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2025

For example, females born in litters with many males become masculinized, likely from the high testosterone levels in the mother’s uterus.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2024

Even Clover and Haystack found that they could manage pretty well and boasted that they would bear the warren’s first litters in burrows that they had dug for themselves.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

The landscape presented its own challenge: It is littered with ammunition, the legacy of a World War II battle in which the invading U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

The late 1990s was littered with the careers of people who had called the stock-market bubble, but too early.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

One could see this as yet another case of nepo-baby triumph — streaming is currently littered with the progeny of famous parents — or simply a living example of the film’s theme.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Television history is littered with the bodies of terrific shows denied more than a few seasons, or even a full order of one.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2026

Fresh rose cuttings littered the walkway, the remnants of the ghost’s nighttime gardening.

From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland

In the 2023-24 season, widespread fan action including littering pitches with tennis balls and chocolate coins resulted in the scrapping of an investment deal, despite the proposal winning majority support of clubs.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

The latter which was backed up by AI pictures posted to his account with drones and planes and military gear littering the rooftop.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

After sunrise, villagers in Qusra, near the city of Nablus, walked through the scorched remains of the Al-Rahma mosque, broken tiles littering the ground, videos showed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Across the county, 35 people have been prosecuted for littering since 2023, including 19 in Cambridge.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Hephaestus was always tossing broken parts out of his godly workshop and littering the earth with scrap metal, but what were the chances some of it would hit Ogygia?

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• clutter
• junk
• muck
• rubbish
• trash