litter
litter
Definition
lit·ter (lit′ər)
noun
- a framework having long horizontal shafts near the bottom and enclosing a couch on which a person can be carried
- a stretcher for carrying the sick or wounded
- straw, hay, leaves, etc. used as bedding for animals, as a protective covering for plants, etc.
- a kind of granular clay used in an indoor receptacle (litter box) to absorb the waste of domestic cats
- the young borne at one time by a dog, cat, or other animal which normally bears several young at a delivery
- things lying about in disorder, esp., bits of rubbish scattered about
- untidiness; disorder
- Forestry the surface layer of the forest floor, in which the leaves are slightly decomposed
Etymology: ME litere < OFr litiere < ML literia, lectaria < L lectus, a couch: see lie
transitive verb
- to supply with a bed, covering, etc. of straw, hay, or the like
- to bring forth (a number of young) at one time: said of certain animals
- to make messy with things scattered about
- to scatter about carelessly
intransitive verb
to bear a litter of young
litter
Synonyms
litter
n.
litter
Synonyms
litter
Usage Examples
Converse of object
- strew: Finally we wish to thank Bob Everly, local beach warden, without whom Sand Bay would be litter strewn.
- drop: Members of the public caught dropping litter will also continue to be hit with £ 50 fixed penalty notices.
Adjective modifier
- unsightly: Remove unsightly litter on the way round the walk.
Modifies a noun
- tray: Do not place the litter tray near the bed or food.
- bin: There are hundreds of litter bins in the district.
- picking: Planting, pruning, tidying litter picking, helping to put up notice board!
- picker: Between times the litter pickers perform a valuable service in keeping things tidy.
- lout: A series of patrols to clamp down on litter louts are already underway across North Lanarkshire in a bid to keep our areas Streetsmart.
- pick: Litter pick in a various parts of the village.
Noun used with modifier
- kitty: For larger amounts, mix in kitty litter or pour one-inch layers of paint in a cardboard box lined with a plastic bag.
- leaf: Between bouts of feeding the older caterpillars rest at the bottom of the plant, often hiding in leaf litter.
- gum: Polymer solution to chewing gum litter A university spin-off company is using polymers to solve the perennial problem of chewing gum litter.
- bracken: Areas of grass and bracken litter can be treated in the same way.
- cat: Posted by Clair on 29 November, 2005 at 12:12 PM Use earth or leaf mold litter instead of cat litter.
- turkey: That leaves the top section on plot 5 where I spread leafmould and have piled turkey litter.
Preposition: of
- kitten: We are currently waiting for our first litter of kittens to arrive!
- puppy: Imagine any litter of puppies, be they retrievers, sheep dogs, guard dogs, racing dogs, whatever.
- piglet: The parents are shown at either end of the photograph with their litter of piglets in between them.
- pup: Also Breeders with litters of pups - send your puppy away with an informative puppy pack to include a book on your breed.
Preposition: with
- corps: For, so I am told, all those plains and hills were littered only with the prostrate corpses of our loathsome enemies.
Browse dictionary entries near litter
- litten
- LittD
- LittB
- littérateur
- litre
- litotes
- litmus test
- litmus paper
- litmus
- litigious
- litterbag
- litterbug
- littermate
- littery
- little
- Little America
- Little Bear, the
- Little Bighorn
- Little Corporal
- Little Diomede
