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• sit
  sit

  verb (used without object)

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

  abbreviation

  stay in touch

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- ); cf. set, sedate, cathedra, nest

Origin of sit²

From Latin

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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

See Examples For:

sit SIT sat sate sitten sitting

"I can't sit on here and be like 'I'm happy with how the UK scene is right now'," the rapper told 1Xtra's DJ Target.

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Ukrainian officials are expected to sit down with Russian negotiators and US envoys for the first such direct talks in months.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

“When I bought the winery, I thought it would be so much fun if we could sit behind a bar and say, ‘Would you like a red or a white?’ ” says co-owner Kurt Tiedt.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026

And as I sit and listen to her, I realize something.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

I sit, realizing she must’ve been eavesdropping on my conversation with Ben on the plane.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Local media have reported that the SIT held its first meeting on Tuesday, which was focused on assigning roles and responsibilities to its members.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025

After remaining missing for several weeks, Mr Revanna had released a video on 27 May in which he said that he would appear before the SIT on Friday.

From BBC ● May 31, 2024

In-depth studies on low-volume SIT have the potential to improve training programs and exercise regimens.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

“Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

“Alex Douglas, turn around and SIT DOWN,” she repeated.

From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers

White sat next to the president at the event.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026

In second place sat a far-less scary beast: "The Cat in the Hat."

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

I sat there, sketching grids on a legal pad, trying to figure out how this new type of publication would work.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026

Between Brand and the judge, sat two sets of lawyers with the jury sitting immediately to the right of the judge.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

But at last we spread our blankets over the squirming straw and sat on them.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Investors regard Bloom’s solid oxide fuel cell as a robust source of power to sate data centers’ endless appetite.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

It’s just enough to sate the palate until next week, when we find ourselves craving a treat once again.

From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026

I always order chicken sate and the green papaya salad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

The startup says its discoveries can help sate the U.S.’s thirst for power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026

They were not supposed to try and sate their hungers with demons and the dead.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

They had not sitten but a while, Certain, without leas-ing, There came two messengers out of the north, With letters to our King.

From A Bundle of Ballads by Henry Morley

And so they arose and did their homage, and when they were gone Merlin found in every sieges letters of gold that told the knights' names that had sitten therein.

From Le Mort d'Arthur: Volume 1 by Sir Thomas Malory

The upper house, inflamed by the ill usage which they had received, were resolved, besides the late king's judges, to except every one who had sitten in any high court of justice.

From The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part F. From Charles II. to James II. by David Hume

You, all of you, have sitten still a good While.

From Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. by Desiderius Erasmus

And over that to mi matiere Of schrifte, why we sitten hiere In privete betwen ous tweie, Now axeth what ther is, I preie.

From Confessio Amantis, or, Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins by G. C. (George Campbell) Macaulay

Abdel Wahed Mohamed, 31, who was sitting at a nearby cafe when the collision occurred, said the Aswan-bound train had stopped, when the Fayoum-bound train crashed into it.

From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026

Walsh lost his boot during the flip; when sitting down to put it back on, TV commentators fretted he had injured himself.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2026

Serra’s star running back AJ McBean was hoping to return after sitting out the last two games because of a hamstring injury first suffered Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

“What everybody is concerned about is cyber, that is for sure,” said Capgemini CEO Aiman Ezzat, sitting in his office overlooking the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Wolf was waiting for them: sitting beneath a birch tree a safe distance from the Widewater, shaking with fear.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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Related Words

• assemble
• meet
• open

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