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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Photos captured after officers arrived on the scene show one officer holding half of the litter in their arms following the rescue, while another shows some of the pups sitting in the backseat of a police car.—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 26 June 2024 The city is seeking to require that these companies pay for cleaning up the plastic litter that pollutes city streets and waterways.—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2024
Verb
It was sold under the counter at a deli near our apartment to street users; empty foil bags of it littered the sidewalks, and a bad batch had once caused more than thirty people to be hospitalized in a single day.—Emily Witt, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024 Debris from firework shells can also litter the surroundings of a show with paper or plastic casings.—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for litter
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'litter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English, from Anglo-French litere, from lit bed, from Latin lectus — more at lie
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