litter

noun
UK: /ˈlɪtər/
US: /ˈlɪtər/

  1. Waste material thrown away carelessly; rubbish.

    1. Don't drop litter in the street; use a bin instead.
    2. The park was covered in litter after the concert; it was really disgusting.

  2. A number of young animals born to an animal at one time.

    1. Our cat had a litter of five kittens last spring.
    2. The farmer was surprised by the size of the litter, consisting of ten piglets.

  3. Material used as bedding for animals.

    1. We use wood shavings as litter for the rabbits.
    2. The chickens need fresh litter in their coop to keep it sanitary and dry.

Synonyms

rubbish offspring debris garbage trash
litter verb

  1. To drop waste material carelessly or leave it lying around.

    1. Please don't litter; keep our town clean.
    2. People who litter should be fined to discourage this antisocial behavior.

  2. To be scattered or distributed over a surface or area.

    1. Toys littered the floor of the children's playroom.
    2. Broken glass littered the pavement after the window was smashed during the riot.
litter transitive-verb

  1. To spread things around a place.

    1. The wind will litter the garden with dry leaves.
    2. After the storm, debris began to litter every street corner in the neighborhood.

  2. To give birth to a litter of animals.

    1. The cat is about to litter; she is very round.
    2. The sow is expected to litter soon, so preparations are being made for the piglets.
litter intransitive-verb

  1. To scatter objects around.

    1. Please don't litter, it makes the area messy.
    2. After the parade, confetti tended to litter the streets.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "litter" in English means: Waste material thrown away carelessly; rubbish., A number of young animals born to an animal at one time., Material used as bedding for animals..

The phonetic transcription of "litter" is /ˈlɪtər/ in British English and /ˈlɪtər/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "litter": rubbish, offspring, debris, garbage, trash.

Example usage of "litter": "Don't drop litter in the street; use a bin instead.". More examples on the page.