litter

noun

(uncountable) Waste or debris, originally any mess but now particularly trash left or thrown on the ground.

(uncountable) Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals.

(uncountable) Animal bedding together with its dung.

(countable, collective) The whole group of live young born at the same time, typically in reference to mammals or (figurative, derogatory) unpleasant people or objects.

(uncountable) Fuller's earth, clay pellets, wood chips, or other similar loose absorbent materials used for the waste of pet animals.

(uncountable) The layer of fallen leaves and other loose organic material on the ground in a forest.

(countable) A mobile bed or couch transported upon or suspended from poles placed over human shoulders or animal backs.

(medicine, countable) Synonym of stretcher, such a vehicle used for transporting the sick and injured, inclusive of designs carried in the hand.

(countable, loosely) The general category of all such similar vehicles, inclusive of sedan chairs, hammock litters, and the like.

(countable, uncommon) A bed, a substrate formed from loose materials.

(countable, obsolete) A bed, especially a pile of straw with blankets &c. used as a bed.

(countable, obsolete) An act of giving birth to a number of live young at the same time.

(uncountable, obsolete) Synonym of straw, grass, &c. more generally, particularly in plaster, thatch, and mulch.

verb

(intransitive) To drop or throw trash without properly disposing of it (as discarding in public areas rather than trash receptacles).

(transitive) To scatter carelessly about.

(transitive) To strew (a place) with scattered articles.

(intransitive) To produce a litter of young.

(transitive) To give birth to, in the manner of animals.

(transitive) To supply (cattle etc.) with litter; to cover with litter, as the floor of a stall.

(intransitive) To be supplied with litter as bedding; to sleep or make one's bed in litter.

Roots

lectuslitter- · Latin · bed, couch (portable)

Synonyms for litter

trashn garbagen rubbishn beddingn jampann debrisn wasten rubblen junkn cluttern

Synonyms & related words for litter

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of litter — including trash, garbage, rubbish, bedding, jampan, debris. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to litter

Explore words related to litter — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include litterbug, dumpsters, roadsides, dustbins, droppings, dustheap, trashcan, excrement. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for litter

Common synonyms for litter include trash, garbage, rubbish, bedding, jampan, debris, waste, rubble — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does litter come from?

The word litter breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root litter, from Latin lectus (“bed, couch (portable)”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.