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- pronunciation:
- lI
t
 r
- parts of speech:
- noun, transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Word Combinations (noun, verb), Word History, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition 1: |
a disorderly scatter of objects, esp. waste materials.
There was a great deal of litter along the sides of the highway.
- synonyms:
- clutter, hodgepodge, jumble, mishmash
- similar words:
- debris, garbage, hash, junk, mess, muddle, refuse, rubbish, rummage, trash
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| definition 2: |
a group of young animals, such as puppies, born to one mother on a single occasion.
Our dog had six puppies in her first litter.This is the smallest pig of the litter.
- synonyms:
- brood, young
- similar words:
- hatch, issue, kindle, offspring, spawn
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| definition 3: |
material such as straw, wood shavings, or clay granules spread in a stable, chicken coop, pet's cage or the like.
How often do you change the litter in your hamster's cage?- synonyms:
- bedding
- similar words:
- straw
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| definition 4: |
a stretcher or similar apparatus on which a sick or injured person is carried.
The wounded soldier was placed on a litter and carried to safety.- synonyms:
- stretcher
- similar words:
- pallet
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| definition 5: |
a covered and curtained bed or couch mounted on poles, used to carry someone.
The maharajah was carried through the streets on a splendid litter.- synonyms:
- palanquin, sedan chair
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| related words: |
botch, clutter, jumble, muss, waste, young |
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| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
litters, littering, littered |
| definition 1: |
to scatter (objects) in a disorderly manner.
He litters his magazines all over the living room.- synonyms:
- strew
- similar words:
- jumble, mix up, scatter, scramble, sprinkle, tumble
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| definition 2: |
to make (a place) messy by scattering rubbish or other objects.
The festival crowd littered the streets with drink cups and beer bottles.His floor was littered with old newspapers.- synonyms:
- clutter, strew
- similar words:
- hash, mess, muddle, muss
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| definition 3: |
to give birth to (a group of young).
- synonyms:
- bear, produce
- similar words:
- breed, whelp
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| definition 4: |
to provide (an animal) with straw or the like for bedding.
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| related words: |
untidy |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition 1: |
to scatter objects, esp. refuse, in a disorderly manner.
It's against the law to litter in the park.- similar words:
- mess
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| definition 2: |
to give birth to a litter.
Our sow littered last month.- synonyms:
- bear, breed
- similar words:
- issue, pup, spawn
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Litter comes from an early French word for "bed." "Bed" was the first meaning of the word in English, and all of its modern meanings have something to do with a bed.
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