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

Inside, pieces of metal roofing, concrete and broken glass litter the floor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

They also spruced up the streets, picking litter, weeding, and painting bins.

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026

For example, before vaccines kick in, sharing a litter box with another house cat risks transferring parasites.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Numerous prototype limbs litter the surfaces in Kimathi's lab.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

Klawde stepped out of the litter box and saw everyone staring at him.

From "Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat" by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

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

He was best known for his love of the husky dogs used to pull sledges around the island, and he raised two litters of dogs.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2025

Arrowhead gave birth to four litters in her lifetime, but not all of her children survived.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2025

“I think we need to figure out who the big players are. Who are the people who are importing litters and litters and litters of puppies.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2024

Behind Atahuallpa came two other litters and two hammocks, in which were some high chiefs, then several squadrons of Indians with crowns of gold and silver.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Online marketplace Etsy is littered with unofficial Clawd products; one merchant sells an unsanctioned 9.4-inch plush version of the crab for $148.23.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Rom-coms and dance movies are often littered with convoluted circumstances, but “Shake Your Booty!” sabotages the heartfelt story it wants to tell about finding new love and learning to let go.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

His schedule is littered with appointments called “executive time” or “meeting time,” as if he were a truculent child, in a Romper Room of his own making.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

He added: "The streets are littered with plastics and broken glass. I pity neighbours of the park and surrounding streets who see their driveways and gardens used as toilets."

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

A pile of Atlanta Constitution Tri-Weeklys littered the floor by the cane-back rocker.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

There are large fragments of salt-eaten machinery littering the shore, relics of the island’s martial heyday.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

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

Blake glanced into his old room and saw my stuffed animals littering the bed.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Related Words

• clutter
• junk
• muck
• rubbish
• trash