Illustration of litter
- litter 1a
litter
1 of 2noun
lit·ter ˈli-tər 
1
a
: a covered and curtained couch provided with shafts and used for carrying a single passenger
a litter carried on the shoulders of four men
Edwin Tunis
Edwin Tunis b
: a device (such as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
The wounded soldier was carried to the rear by litter.
2
a(1)
: material used as bedding for animals
Fibrous peat was used as litter for livestock.
(2)
: material used to absorb the urine and feces of animals
b
: the uppermost slightly decayed layer of organic matter on the forest floor
3
: the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal
a litter of puppies
4
a
: trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about
trying to clean up the roadside litter
b
: an untidy accumulation of objects
a shabby writing-desk covered with a litter of yellowish dusty documents Joseph Conrad
Joseph Conrad littery
ˈli-tə-rē
adjective litter
2 of 2verb
littered; littering; litters
transitive verb
1
: bed sense 1a
2
: to give birth to a litter of (young)
3
a
: to strew with scattered articles
b
: to scatter about in disorder
c
: to lie about in disorder
their upside-down hats littered the top of the bar Michael Chabon
Michael Chabon d
: to mark with objects scattered at random
a book littered with misprints
intransitive verb
1
: to give birth to a litter
2
: to strew litter
Synonyms
Noun
- agglomerate
- agglomeration
- alphabet soup
- assortment
- botch
- clutter
- collage
- crazy quilt
- farrago
- gallimaufry
- grab bag
- gumbo
- hash
- hodgepodge
- hotchpotch
- jambalaya
- jumble
- jungle
- macédoine
- medley
- mélange
- menagerie
- miscellanea
- miscellany
- mishmash
- mixed bag
- montage
- motley
- muddle
- olio
- olla podrida
- omnium-gatherum
- pastiche
- patchwork
- patchwork quilt
- potpourri
- ragbag
- ragout
- rummage
- salad
- salmagundi
- scramble
- shuffle
- smorgasbord
- stew
- tumble
- variety
- welter
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Noun We decided to pick up the litter in the park. Her desk was covered with a litter of legal documents. Verb Paper and popcorn littered the streets after the parade. a desk littered with old letters and bills It is illegal to litter. He had to pay a fine for littering. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Mythili Devarakonda, USA TODAY, 7 July 2022 Groups will remove litter from the waterfront, and events are planned at schools, parks and in specific neighborhoods. Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, 7 Apr. 2022 As is always the case, there's always a cleaning up process following the festivities, and teams were out in force to remove litter on Thursday morning. Pan Pylas, Star Tribune, 8 July 2021 This pioneering initiative has 3 main objectives: to remove marine litter that is damaging the ecosystem, to give a second life to recovered waste with a circular economy view and to raise awareness on about the global issue the ocean is facing. Afdhel Aziz, Forbes, 8 June 2021 The authors want new measures to control water pollution from urban runoff and more cleanup operations to remove marine litter around the reefs, in particular marine plastic waste. Nathanial Gronewold, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2020 In the photo: Cox interns teamed up to clean up 500 pounds of litter in Atlanta, successfully diverting nearly 25 percent of it from the landfill. Diane Herbst, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 Last year, 59 volunteers helped remove 1.9 tons of litter and 301 tires from five sites along the Kanawha River. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 One recent evening, Long and five other volunteers picked up more than 200 lbs of litter on Kasilof’s north beach in a few hours. Conocophillips Alaska, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2022 Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Wayward Mountain Dew cartons litter the ground, waiting for someone to pick them up. WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 James Robinson, executive director of the Lake Merritt Institute, urged people to not litter or eat the fish. Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Aug. 2022 Creepy-crawly, extra slimy feelers litter the landscape as part of the Vecna’s hive mind. The Editors, Outside Online, 23 Aug. 2022 Recycling Advocates estimates about 50 million single-use cups go to both landfill and litter each year in the Portland metro. Jordan Hernandez | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 28 Apr. 2022 Dating and Related, coming in September, is another in a line of dating-show-with-a-twist Netflix series that already litter the streamer’s bulging library of content. Andy Meek, BGR, 5 Aug. 2022 The legislation heads off a November ballot measure and puts California at the forefront of national efforts to eliminate polystyrene and other plastics that litter the environment and degrade into toxic particles. Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2022 Old copies litter the corners of antique stores, eBay and libraries. David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 26 June 2022 See More
Noun
How many kittens can a cat have in her first litter? Mythili Devarakonda, USA TODAY, 7 July 2022 Groups will remove litter from the waterfront, and events are planned at schools, parks and in specific neighborhoods. Steve Sadin, chicagotribune.com, 7 Apr. 2022 As is always the case, there's always a cleaning up process following the festivities, and teams were out in force to remove litter on Thursday morning. Pan Pylas, Star Tribune, 8 July 2021 This pioneering initiative has 3 main objectives: to remove marine litter that is damaging the ecosystem, to give a second life to recovered waste with a circular economy view and to raise awareness on about the global issue the ocean is facing. Afdhel Aziz, Forbes, 8 June 2021 The authors want new measures to control water pollution from urban runoff and more cleanup operations to remove marine litter around the reefs, in particular marine plastic waste. Nathanial Gronewold, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2020 In the photo: Cox interns teamed up to clean up 500 pounds of litter in Atlanta, successfully diverting nearly 25 percent of it from the landfill. Diane Herbst, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022 Last year, 59 volunteers helped remove 1.9 tons of litter and 301 tires from five sites along the Kanawha River. From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 One recent evening, Long and five other volunteers picked up more than 200 lbs of litter on Kasilof’s north beach in a few hours. Conocophillips Alaska, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2022 Verb
Car parts now litter the new bridge after crashes with other vehicles or concrete barriers that separate pedestrian walkways from traffic. Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2022 Wayward Mountain Dew cartons litter the ground, waiting for someone to pick them up. WIRED, 3 Sep. 2022 James Robinson, executive director of the Lake Merritt Institute, urged people to not litter or eat the fish. Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Aug. 2022 Creepy-crawly, extra slimy feelers litter the landscape as part of the Vecna’s hive mind. The Editors, Outside Online, 23 Aug. 2022 Recycling Advocates estimates about 50 million single-use cups go to both landfill and litter each year in the Portland metro. Jordan Hernandez | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, 28 Apr. 2022 Dating and Related, coming in September, is another in a line of dating-show-with-a-twist Netflix series that already litter the streamer’s bulging library of content. Andy Meek, BGR, 5 Aug. 2022 The legislation heads off a November ballot measure and puts California at the forefront of national efforts to eliminate polystyrene and other plastics that litter the environment and degrade into toxic particles. Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2022 Old copies litter the corners of antique stores, eBay and libraries. David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 26 June 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing litter
Kids Definition
litter 1 of 2
noun
lit·ter ˈli-tər
1
: the young born to an animal at a single time
a litter of pigs
2
: a messy collection of things scattered about : trash We picked up the litter in our neighborhood.
3
: material used to soak up the urine and feces of animals
4
: a covered and curtained couch having poles and used for carrying a single passenger
5
: a stretcher for carrying a sick or wounded person
litter
2 of 2verb
littered; littering
1
: to throw or leave trash on the ground
2
: to cover in an untidy way
Leaves littered the yard.
Medical Definition
litter 1 of 2
noun
lit·ter ˈlit-ər
1
: a device (as a stretcher) for carrying a sick or injured person
2
: the offspring at one birth of a multiparous animal
litter
2 of 2transitive verb
: to give birth to a litter of (young)
intransitive verb
: to give birth to a litter
litter 1 of 2
noun
1
as in variety
an unorganized collection or mixture of various things a litter of magazines covered the bedroom floor Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- variety
- assortment
- jumble
- collage
- medley
- clutter
- jungle
- menagerie
- rummage
- accumulation
- agglomeration
- potpourri
- salad
- stew
- agglomerate
- patchwork
- shuffle
- mélange
- blend
- detritus
- motley
- amalgam
- hash
- hodgepodge
- miscellanea
- gumbo
- ragbag
- ragout
- alphabet soup
- mishmash
- smorgasbord
- tangle
- mixed bag
- miscellany
- farrago
- hotchpotch
- scramble
- jambalaya
- crazy quilt
- patchwork quilt
- grab bag
- montage
- pastiche
- macédoine
- tumble
- muddle
- olio
- welter
- gallimaufry
- combination
- aggregation
- salmagundi
- aggregate
- mess
- botch
- omnium-gatherum
- conglomerate
- sundries
- notions
- olla podrida
- compound
- conglomeration
- composite
- chaos
- oddments
- fusion
- intermixture
- alloy
- admixture
- disorder
- commixture
- snarl
- morass
- disarray
- catchall
- shambles
- confusion
- odds and ends
- disarrangement
- dog's breakfast
- imbroglio
- bollix
- mix-up
- knot
2
as in garbage
discarded or useless material if you get caught throwing your litter on the sidewalk, you'll get slapped with a fine Synonyms & Similar Words
- garbage
- debris
- trash
- rubbish
- dust
- junk
- truck
- sewage
- rubble
- waste
- offal
- refuse
- dross
- deadwood
- chaff
- scrap
- dreck
- effluvium
- wreckage
- riffraff
- effluvia
- raffle
- lumber
- detritus
- drek
- wash
- ruins
- spilth
- offscouring
- dump
- swill
- remains
- crud
- flotsam
- discard
- jetsam
- slop
- straw
- cull
- trumpery
- scrap heap
- throwaway
- nothing
- castoff
- two bits
- reject
- odds and ends
- hand-me-down
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- treasure
- prize
- pearl
- plum
- gem
- jewel
- catch
- treasure trove
- trove
- goodie
- goody
- find
- booty
- salvage
- valuable
litter
2 of 2verb
as in to kitten
Synonyms & Similar Words
- kitten
- pup
- sire
- kid
- father
- breed
- whelp
- calve
- generate
- kindle
- beget
- spawn
- propagate
- mother
- labor
- reproduce
- multiply
- get
- birth
- produce
- have
- drop
- deliver
- bear
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- abort
- lose
- miscarry