sit on
Britishverb
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to be a member of (a committee, etc)
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informal to suppress
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informal to check or rebuke
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Also, sit upon.
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Confer about or deliberate over, as in Another attorney was called to sit on the case . [Mid-1400s]
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Suppress or repress, as in I know they were sitting on some evidence . [Early 1900s]
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Postpone action or resolution regarding, as in I don't know why the city council is sitting on their decision . [Early 1900s]
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Rebuke sharply, reprimand, as in If he interrupts one more time I'm going to sit on him . [ Slang ; second half of 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fans sit on plastic chairs arranged on the sandy floor, their chatter mingling with the hum of a worn-out generator.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
Hospitals, physicians and drugmakers sit on the other end: They win when volumes rise.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 17, 2026
"Being content creators has transformed our lives," Sophie says as they sit on a video call with me outside their house in the south east of England.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
“We’re not making records that are just going to go sit on the shelf — these are records we’re continually repressing all the time anyway.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
I sit on a bench and take out the Unremarkable phone Mom gave me.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
