sit

¹ American  

[sit] / sɪt /

verb (used without object)

sat, sate, sat, sitten, sitting

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

2. to be located or situated.

   The house sits well up on the slope.

3. to rest or lie (usually followed by on orupon ).

   An aura of greatness sits easily upon him.

4. to place oneself in position for an artist, photographer, etc.; pose.

   to sit for a portrait.

5. to remain quiet or inactive.

   They let the matter sit.

6. (of a bird) to perch or roost.

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

8. to fit, rest, or hang, as a garment.

   The jacket sits well on your shoulders.

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

10. to be convened or in session, as an assembly.

    Synonyms:

    gather, convene, assemble, meet

11. to act as a baby-sitter.

12. (of wind) to blow from the indicated direction.

    The wind sits in the west tonight.

13. to be accepted or considered in the way indicated.

    Something about his looks just didn't sit right with me.

14. Informal. to be acceptable to the stomach.

    Something I ate for breakfast didn't sit too well.

15. Chiefly British. to take a test or examination.

    I’m studying now, and I plan to sit in June.

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verb (used with object)

sat, sate, sat, sitten, sitting

1. to cause to sit; seat (often followed bydown ).

   Sit yourself down. He sat me near him.

2. to sit astride or keep one's seat on (a horse or other animal).

   She sits her horse gracefully.

3. to provide seating accommodations or seating room for; seat.

   Our dining-room table only sits six people.

4. Informal. to serve as baby-sitter for.

   A neighbor can sit the children while you go out.

5. Chiefly British. to take (a test or examination).

   She finally received permission to sit the exam at a later date.

verb phrase

1. sit out

   1. to stay to the end of.

      Though bored, we sat out the play.

   2. to surpass in endurance.

      He sat out his tormentors.

   3. to keep one's seat during (a dance, competition, etc.); fail to participate in.

      We sat out all the Latin-American numbers.

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

   to sit in on classes.

3. sit on / upon

   1. to inquire into or deliberate over.

      A coroner's jury was called to sit on the case.

   2. Informal. to suppress; silence.

      They sat on the bad news as long as they could.

   3. Informal. to check or rebuke; squelch.

      I'll sit on him if he tries to interrupt me.

4. sit in

   1. 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.

   2. to take part in a sit-in.

5. sit up

   1. to rise from a supine to a sitting position.

   2. to delay the hour of retiring beyond the usual time.

   3. to sit upright; hold oneself erect.

   4. Informal. to become interested or astonished.

      We all sat up when the holiday was announced.

6. sit down

   1. to take a seat.

   2. to descend to a sitting position; alight.

   3. to take up a position, as to encamp or besiege.

      The military forces sat down at the approaches to the city.

idioms

1. sit tight, to bide one's time; take no action.

   I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.

2. sit on one's hands,

   1. to fail to applaud.

   2. to fail to take appropriate action.

3. sit pretty, to be in a comfortable situation.

   He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.

sit ² American  

[sit] / sɪt /

verb

1. (in prescriptions) may it be.

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sit ¹ British  

/ sɪt /

verb

1. (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 upright

   to sit on a chair

   sit a horse

2. (tr) to cause to adopt such a posture

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

4. (of a bird) to perch or roost

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

6. to be situated or located

7. (of the wind) to blow from the direction specified

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

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

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

11. to remain inactive or unused

    his car sat in the garage for a year

12. to rest or lie as specified

    the nut was sitting so awkwardly that he couldn't turn it

13. (of a garment) to fit or hang as specified

    that dress sits well on you

14. to weigh, rest, or lie as specified

    greatness sits easily on him

15. (tr) to take (an examination)

    he's sitting his bar finals

16. (usually foll by for) to be a candidate (for a qualification)

    he's sitting for a BA

17. (intr; in combination) to look after a specified person or thing for someone else

    granny-sit

18. (tr) to have seating capacity for

19. informal well placed or established financially, socially, etc

20. 1. to wait patiently; bide one's time

    2. to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly

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SIT ² British  

abbreviation

1. stay in touch

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sit More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing sit

• at a sitting

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Commonly Confused

See set.

Etymology

Origin of sit¹

First recorded 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- ); set, sedate, cathedra, nest

Origin of sit²

From Latin

Explanation

Sit down! When you sit, you rest your weight on your bottom instead of standing on your feet. You can sit in a chair, sit on the floor, or sit in a giant bowl of chocolate pudding if you want to. When you tell a good dog to sit, she lowers her hindquarters to the floor, with her back legs bent. But when you sit ten people at your little kitchen table, you provide seats for them, and when you sit for an artist, you pose while she paints or draws your portrait. Objects sit by simply not moving: "The cars sit, stuck in rush hour traffic, while the subway speeds past."

Example Sentences

If you’re a family that needs to sit together, for example, it’s not necessarily going to work out well if you leave it to the airline to assign your seats.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 10, 2026

A 16-year-old Rooney made the world sit up and take notice when he scored a stunning late winner for Everton against Arsenal in 2002.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

"They need to be pressured so that they simply sit down at the negotiating table, withdraw their troops from our country and leave forever," Sova said.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

As a result, even senior Commerce officials at times sit by his office waiting or outside the building, watching for his car.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

He wrote his last book, a study of sacrifice in the Old Testament, standing, because the pain of his illness would not allow him to sit at a desk.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• assemble
• meet
• open