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 orupon ).
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.
to cause to sit; seat (often followed bydown ).
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.
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 in on to be a spectator, observer, or visitor at.
to sit in on classes.
sit on / upon
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 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.
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 tight, to bide one's time; take no action.
I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.
sit on one's hands,
to fail to applaud.
to fail to take appropriate action.
sit pretty, to be in a comfortable situation.
He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.
(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
(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 unused
his car sat in the garage for a year
to rest or lie as specified
the nut was sitting so awkwardly that he couldn't turn it
(of a garment) to fit or hang as specified
that dress sits well on you
to weigh, rest, or lie as specified
greatness sits easily on him
(tr) to take (an examination)
he's sitting his bar finals
(usually foll by for) 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 else
granny-sit
(tr) to have seating capacity for
informal well placed or established financially, socially, etc
to wait patiently; bide one's time
to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly
See set.
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
From Latin
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."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Both sat at my feet, sphinx-like, for hours during my pandemic-era Zoom calls, Hook waiting to sit on my lap, Cosmo to lie by my side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
"The shops, restaurants and cafes are fairly empty... Interestingly on Sunday when there was still smoke, there were people brave enough to sit outside on terraces."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
The same highflying tech and AI names leading this market are the most rate-sensitive, because their profits sit far off in the future.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
For a time after his death, Hwang returned daily to leave a cup of coffee "at the cramped table where he never got to sit".
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
All three of us sit at the card table where we used to play spades.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Further investigation by the SIT has revealed pilferage also from the pedestals and door frames and the court says that approximately 4.54kg gold has gone missing since 2019.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025
A SIT official who did not want to be named told the BBC on Saturday morning that the man "has been arrested for perjury".
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025
In recent years, the field of sports physiology has witnessed increased interest in optimizing SIT protocols.
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
On the evening of June 16, after the first day of his first policy meeting as Federal Reserve chairman, Kevin Warsh sat down to dinner with the 18 officials who set interest rates alongside him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
A jury convicted him of a misdemeanor anyway, on the theory that a single six-pack sat in plain view, and a judge gave him the statutory minimum: a $1,500 fine and three days in jail.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
While sipping on his coffee and munching on extra crispy bacon and blueberry pancakes Sunday morning, Baker sat at the Otesaga Resort where the Hall of Famers stay during induction weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Susie Matthews said she never wanted to find herself sat in a chair thinking "I wished I'd have done this and wished I'd have done that"
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Father drew out a chair from the table and Mrs. Kleermaker sat down, still gripping the suitcase.
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
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
It seems likely that Sir Keir's rhetoric in PMQs will sate some Labour MPs for now.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
There, midst their thousand Eyes, their black, open Eyes, he sate slumped — him looking out to Sea at the Moon.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
After the Ambassadour with his gentlemen had sitten an houre and more, there came three or foure chauses, and brought them into the great Turkes presence.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 05 Central and Southern Europe by Hakluyt, Richard
After these grants, the parliament was dissolved, which had sitten near two years and a half, and had undergone several prorogations; a practice not very usual at that time in England.
From The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part B. From Henry III. to Richard III. by Hume, David
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 Hume, David
Now then, sir, sitten doon and mak theeself comfortable.
From The Humourous Story of Farmer Bumpkin's Lawsuit by Harris, Richard
Not even the wild Highlands have sitten through so many calls as we have done here in Galloway and the South.
From The Men of the Moss-Hags Being a history of adventure taken from the papers of William Gordon of Earlstoun in Galloway by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)
Twice when we drove along it, we saw an Israeli settler sitting in the empty fields.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Netanyahu and his wife, sitting in the audience, nodded along.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
After a June raid at Home Depot in Hollywood, body camera footage captured an agent saying: “There was a guy, I’m pretty sure he’s wet he was just sitting in that minivan.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Japan is still the largest foreign holder of U.S. government debt, sitting on about $1.19 trillion.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Drum lesson with Cat,” Harry said, sitting straight-backed as she settled herself, backpack in her lap, body centered in her space on the other end of the pickup bench.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
