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

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

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

Harry Machin, a volunteer litter picker in Peterborough, said other councils could learn from Cambridge.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Some evacuees have brought their cats and dogs with them, and bags of pet food and cat litter have been made available.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Many couples say their marriage hinges on one party coming around to their spouse’s feline friends, which can mean dealing with severe rashes, smelly litter boxes and early wakeups.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

Dicey and Maybeth cleared away litter from the midway.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

"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

Puppy farming is the term used when breeders prioritise profit over animal health and welfare, often keeping large numbers of dogs in small pens and using them to produce multiple litters a year.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 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

Poppy had several litters for my mother’s business, but the puppies and the other breeding dogs live with Mummy’s partner at a farm outside Burlington.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Letterboxd’s “popular with friends” feature would likely be littered with streaming slop.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026

There were props littered around, ranging from nuclear emergency posters to mouldy Egyptian statues - he said the location was often used in films and TV series, including Doctor Who and the Pembrokeshire Murders.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Pieces of red lockers littered the parking lot.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

Their history is littered with “can’t miss” prospects that they saw a cloudy future in and traded away to unsuspecting teams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

Fast food wrappers are littered next to his duffle bag.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

The BBC asked the councils about fines for littering but not fly-tipping, which the authority previously said had more than doubled last year.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Local authorities in Cambridgeshire have issued 889 fixed penalty notices for littering, according to Freedom of Information requests made by the BBC.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

A gaping hole appeared in the terminal roof, with debris littering the floor and structural elements exposed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

Doc pushed aside the ingredients littering his table to make room for the man to lean on.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• clutter
• junk
• muck
• rubbish
• trash