sit

[ sit ]

/ sɪt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sit ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

to rest with the body supported by the buttocks or thighs; be seated.

to be located or situated: The house sits well up on the slope.

to rest or lie (usually followed by on or upon): An aura of greatness sits easily upon him.

to place oneself in position for an artist, photographer, etc.; pose: to sit for a portrait.

to remain quiet or inactive: They let the matter sit.

(of a bird) to perch or roost.

(of a hen) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood.

to fit, rest, or hang, as a garment: The jacket sits well on your shoulders.

to occupy a place or have a seat in an official assembly or in an official capacity, as a legislator, judge, or bishop.

to be convened or in session, as an assembly.

to act as a baby-sitter.

(of wind) to blow from the indicated direction: The wind sits in the west tonight.

to be accepted or considered in the way indicated: Something about his looks just didn't sit right with me.

Informal. to be acceptable to the stomach: Something I ate for breakfast didn't sit too well.

Chiefly British. to take a test or examination: I’m studying now, and I plan to sit in June.

verb (used with object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.

to cause to sit; seat (often followed by down): Sit yourself down. He sat me near him.

to sit astride or keep one's seat on (a horse or other animal): She sits her horse gracefully.

to provide seating accommodations or seating room for; seat: Our dining-room table only sits six people.

Informal. to serve as baby-sitter for: A neighbor can sit the children while you go out.

Chiefly British. to take (a test or examination): She finally received permission to sit the exam at a later date.

Verb Phrases

sit down,

to take a seat.
to descend to a sitting position; alight.
to take up a position, as to encamp or besiege: The military forces sat down at the approaches to the city.

sit in,

to attend or take part as a visitor or temporary participant: to sit in at a bridge game; to sit in for the band's regular pianist.
to take part in a sit-in.

sit in on, to be a spectator, observer, or visitor at: to sit in on classes.

sit on/upon,

to inquire into or deliberate over: A coroner's jury was called to sit on the case.
Informal. to suppress; silence: They sat on the bad news as long as they could.
Informal. to check or rebuke; squelch: I'll sit on him if he tries to interrupt me.

sit out,

to stay to the end of: Though bored, we sat out the play.
to surpass in endurance: He sat out his tormentors.
to keep one's seat during (a dance, competition, etc.); fail to participate in: We sat out all the Latin-American numbers.

sit up,

to rise from a supine to a sitting position.
to delay the hour of retiring beyond the usual time.
to sit upright; hold oneself erect.
Informal. to become interested or astonished: We all sat up when the holiday was announced.

QUIZZES

HEED THE VOX POPULI, AND TAKE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Test your memory on these verbal firecrackers from the week of June 29 to July 5!

Question 1 of 7

anchorite

a granular metamorphic rock.

a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for sit

sit on one's hands,

to fail to applaud.
to fail to take appropriate action.

sit pretty, Informal. to be in a comfortable situation: He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.

sit tight, to bide one's time; take no action: I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.

Origin of sit

before 900; Middle English sitten, Old English sittan; cognate with Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Old Norse sitja; akin to Gothic sitan, Latin sedēre, Greek hézesthai (base hed-); cf. set, sedate, cathedral, nest

SYNONYMS FOR sit

10 meet, assemble, convene, gather.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR sit ON THESAURUS.COM

usage note for sit

See set.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH sit

set sit (see usage note at set)

Words nearby sit

sistine madonna, sistroid, sistrum, sisyphean, sisyphus, sit, sit at one's feet, sit back, sit bolt upright, sit by, sit down

Definition for sit (2 of 3)

sit²

[ sit ]

/ sɪt /

verb

(in prescriptions) may it be.

Origin of sit

From Latin

Definition for sit (3 of 3)

sicut patribus, sit Deus nobis

[ see-koo t pah-tri-boo s, sit de-oo s noh-bis; English sik-uh t pa-truh-buh s, sit dee-uh s noh-bis, dey-uh s ]

/ ˈsi kʊt ˈpɑ trɪˌbʊs, sɪt ˈdɛ ʊs ˈnoʊ bɪs; English ˈsɪk ət ˈpæ trə bəs, sɪt ˈdi əs ˈnoʊ bɪs, ˈdeɪ əs /

Latin.

as with our fathers, may God be with us: motto of Boston.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for sit

I watch every episode alone on my couch and I just sit there and laugh, and laugh.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The detectives are still at it, seeking to account for a period of time when Brinsley may well have paused to sit somewhere.
Exclusive: Inside a Cop-Killer’s Final Hours|Michael Daly|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is very difficult to sit by helplessly while a friend is imprisoned for a crime that is too implausible to comprehend.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe our dear bear should sit quietly, not chase piglets and just eat berries and honey.
After His Disastrous Annual Press Conference, Putin Needs A Hug|Anna Nemtsova|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Why the former Florida governor would be smarter to sit out 2016.
Be the Smarter Bush Brother, Jeb: Don’t Run!|Michael Tomasky|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sit, with our hands crossed, singing hymns and thinking of our cari sposi in the Plains?
Chronicles of Dustypore|Henry Stewart Cunningham
But an Eskimo, for his part, can sit all day as still as a tombstone in a cemetery.
Grenfell: Knight-Errant of the North|Fullerton Waldo
I was so grateful that I was forced to go and sit down on the rug beside her.
The Return of the Soldier|Rebecca West
And they have animals on which they sit, and which carry them at a speed far greater than that at which a man can run?
By Right of Conquest|G. A. Henty
Believe me, Hewitt, I have not strength even to mount, much less to sit a horse at present.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 57, No. 355, May 1845|Various

British Dictionary definitions for sit (1 of 2)

sit

/ (sɪt) /

verb sits, sitting or sat (mainly intr)

(also tr; when intr, often foll by down, in, or on) to adopt or rest in a posture in which the body is supported on the buttocks and thighs and the torso is more or less uprightto sit on a chair; sit a horse

(tr) to cause to adopt such a posture

(of an animal) to adopt or rest in a posture with the hindquarters lowered to the ground

(of a bird) to perch or roost

(of a hen or other bird) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood

to be situated or located

(of the wind) to blow from the direction specified

to adopt and maintain a posture for one's portrait to be painted, etc

to occupy or be entitled to a seat in some official capacity, as a judge, elected representative, etc

(of a deliberative body) to be convened or in session

to remain inactive or unusedhis car sat in the garage for a year

to rest or lie as specifiedthe nut was sitting so awkwardly that he couldn't turn it

(of a garment) to fit or hang as specifiedthat dress sits well on you

to weigh, rest, or lie as specifiedgreatness sits easily on him

(tr) mainly British to take (an examination)he's sitting his bar finals

(usually foll by for) mainly British to be a candidate (for a qualification)he's sitting for a BA

(intr; in combination) to look after a specified person or thing for someone elsegranny-sit

(tr) to have seating capacity for

sitting pretty informal well placed or established financially, socially, etc

sit tight

to wait patiently; bide one's time
to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly

Word Origin for sit

Old English sittan; related to Old Norse sitja, Gothic sitan, Old High German sizzen, Latin sedēre to sit, Sanskrit sīdati he sits

British Dictionary definitions for sit (2 of 2)

SIT

/ text messaging /

abbreviation for

stay in touch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with sit

sit

In addition to the idioms beginning with sit

sit at one's feet
sit back
sit bolt upright
sit by
sit down
sit in
sit on
sit on one's hands
sit out
sit pretty
sit through
sit tight
sit up
sit well with

also see:

at a sitting

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

sit

verb (used without object), sat or (Archaic) sate; sat or (Archaic) sit·ten; sit·ting.