litter
gb/lˈɪtɚ/ us/lˈɪtɚ/
B1
English
~ 7700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
rubbish left in public places
Trash such as paper, cans, or bottles that people leave on the ground in streets, parks, and other public places.
Usage pattern:
[someone] drops/throws [litter] [in/on a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "litter" for any rubbish inside the home. In everyday English, "litter" usually suggests rubbish left in public places, while at home people more often say "trash" or "garbage" (AmE) or "rubbish" (BrE). Some learners also confuse the pronunciation or spelling of "litter" with "little".
Synonyms
trash (Common in American English; can mean any rubbish, while 'litter' usually means rubbish left in public places.)
Antonyms
cleanliness (Refers to a state where there is no rubbish lying around.)
Collocations
drop litter
|pick up litter
|litter problem
|street litter
|litter bin
|plastic litter
Themes
environment
|daily life
|daily_life
Examples
- The city has a serious problem with litter in its parks.
- Fines for dropping litter have doubled in the last year.
- Volunteers spent the morning picking up litter along the beach.
- Please put your litter in the bin before you leave the train.
- Plastic litter is harming wildlife in rivers and oceans.
Learner examples
- There is a lot of litter on the street after the game.
- We picked up litter in the park on Saturday.
- Do not drop litter on the ground.
- She put her sandwich wrapper with the other litter in the bin.
- The sign says, "No litter."
Verb
B1
action
2
to drop rubbish in public places
To drop or leave trash on the ground in a street, park, or other public place.
Usage pattern:
[someone] litters [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"throw garbage"* when they mean *"litter"*. "Throw garbage" can be neutral if you throw it into a bin, but "litter" always suggests doing something wrong by leaving rubbish in a public place.
Synonyms
pollute (More general and often used for air, water, or soil; "litter" usually refers to visible rubbish in public places.)
Antonyms
clean up (Means to remove rubbish and make a place tidy, the opposite of making it dirty with litter.)
Collocations
litter the streets
|heavily littered
|fined for littering
|stop littering
|littering offense
Themes
environment
|daily life
|daily_life
|law
Examples
- Tourists are warned not to litter the beaches during the holiday season.
- The path through the forest was badly littered with bottles and cans.
- You can be fined if you are caught littering in this city.
- Protesters promised they would not litter the area around the government buildings.
- After the parade, the main street was littered with confetti.
Learner examples
- Do not litter in the park.
- The students littered the playground with drink cans.
- Many people litter the streets after big events.
- The sign says, "Please do not litter."
- Someone littered the beach with plastic bags.
Noun
B2
entity
3
group of baby animals born together
A group of baby animals, such as puppies or kittens, that are born from the same mother at the same time.
Usage pattern:
a litter of [young animals]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse this meaning with "litter" as rubbish and produce strange sentences like *"The mother cat had a lot of litter in the street."* Use "a litter of" only for groups of baby animals born at the same time.
Synonyms
brood (Used mainly for birds or sometimes for children; "litter" is most common with cats, dogs, and other mammals.)
Antonyms
single (Describes only one baby born, instead of a group born together.)
Collocations
a litter of puppies
|a litter of kittens
|large litter
|small litter
|first litter
|produce a litter
Themes
animals
|pets
Examples
- Their dog had a litter of eight puppies last month.
- The shelter is trying to find homes for a litter of abandoned kittens.
- This will be the cat's last litter before she is spayed.
- On average, a litter of pigs contains about ten piglets.
- Each puppy in the litter was given a different colored collar.
Learner examples
- The cat gave birth to a litter of five kittens.
- They adopted a puppy from a large litter.
- This is the dog's first litter.
- Every kitten in the litter looks different.
- The farmer wrote down the size of each litter.
Noun
B1
entity
4
absorbent material in pet toilet trays
Dry material in a box or tray that a pet, especially a cat, uses as a toilet inside a home.
Usage pattern:
[someone] changes/cleans the litter
Common mistake:
Some learners think this meaning of "litter" is only the box or tray. In everyday English, "litter" usually refers to the material inside the box; the box itself is called a "litter box" or "litter tray".
Synonyms
kitty litter (Mainly North American; an informal brand-like term for the same material used in a cat’s toilet box.)
Antonyms
empty tray (Describes a litter box with no absorbent material inside.)
Collocations
cat litter
|change the litter
|clean the litter box
|clumping litter
|scented litter
|non-clumping litter
Themes
pets
|daily life
|animals
|daily_life
Examples
- Don't forget to change the cat litter at least twice a week.
- We buy clumping litter because it is easier to clean.
- The smell was strong because the litter hadn't been changed for days.
- Please scoop the litter before you leave for work.
- Recycled paper litter is better for the environment than clay-based products.
Learner examples
- The cat used the litter in the box.
- I need to buy more cat litter today.
- She cleans the litter every morning.
- He put fresh litter in the tray.
- This litter does not smell bad.
Verb
B2
action
5
to cover an area with scattered things
To cover a place with many small things lying around in a messy way.
Usage pattern:
[things] litter [a place]; [someone] litters [a place] with [things]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this meaning always refers to rubbish. It can be neutral or even positive: for example, "stars littered the sky" suggests many stars, not trash. The common idea is "many small things scattered everywhere."
Synonyms
cover (More general and neutral; "litter" suggests many small items and often an untidy or excessive amount.)
Antonyms
clear (Means to remove things so a surface is empty, the opposite of covering it with scattered items.)
Collocations
litter the floor
|litter the desk
|toys littered the room
|papers littered the table
|littered with mistakes
Themes
description
|daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Toys littered the living room floor after the party.
- Old magazines littered every surface in his apartment.
- Her desk was littered with open notebooks and coffee cups.
- The report is littered with spelling errors.
- Small fishing boats littered the harbor as the sun came up.
Learner examples
- Clothes littered the floor in his room.
- Many bottles littered the table after dinner.
- Her desk was littered with pens and papers.
- Leaves littered the garden after the storm.
- The page is littered with small mistakes.
Noun
B2
entity
6
untidy scattered pile of things
A messy group of things lying in different places on a table, floor, or other surface.
Usage pattern:
a litter of [things] on [a surface]
Common mistake:
Learners often use only "mess" and do not recognize this noun use of "litter". Note that this sense is less common than "litter" meaning rubbish or baby animals, and it usually describes many small things spread out.
Synonyms
mess (Very common and general; "litter" suggests many small scattered items rather than general disorder.)
Antonyms
order (Refers to an organized, tidy arrangement without scattered objects.)
Collocations
a litter of papers
|a litter of clothes
|desk litter
|floor litter
|a general litter
Themes
description
|home
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Her bedroom floor was a litter of clothes and shoes.
- The table was covered with a litter of newspapers and empty cups.
- He pushed aside the litter of tools to find a clear space.
- There was a litter of documents across the office carpet.
- We spent the afternoon sorting through the litter of old photos.
Learner examples
- There was a litter of toys on the floor.
- His desk was a litter of books and papers.
- I cleaned up the litter of clothes in my room.
- The kitchen table was a litter of dirty plates.
- She moved the litter of things to one side.
Noun
technical
C1
entity
7
straw or similar bedding for animals
Straw or other dry material on the floor where farm animals sleep and go to the toilet.
Usage pattern:
[someone] spreads/changes the litter
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse this with pet "cat litter". On farms, "litter" often means straw or similar material used as bedding and to absorb waste for larger animals, not just for cats.
Synonyms
bedding (General word for material animals sleep on; "litter" emphasizes straw-like material on the floor, often also used to absorb waste.)
Antonyms
bare floor (Describes a stall or pen without any bedding material on the ground.)
Collocations
animal litter
|stable litter
|fresh litter
|change the litter
|deep litter system
Themes
animals
|farming
|daily_life
Examples
- Fresh straw litter was spread in the cows' stalls every morning.
- The smell improved as soon as they changed the litter in the pig sheds.
- Proper litter helps keep the animals dry and warm in winter.
- The farmer added more litter to absorb the moisture on the floor.
- Deep litter systems reduce the need for daily cleaning.
Learner examples
- The farmer put new litter in the cow shed.
- They changed the dirty litter in the pig house.
- Good litter keeps the animals warm and dry.
- Workers spread straw litter on the floor of the stable.
- The chickens walked on the soft litter.
Noun
literary
C2
entity
8
portable frame for carrying a person
A kind of seat or bed with poles that people use to carry a person from place to place.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is carried in a litter
Common mistake:
This meaning is rare in modern everyday English, so learners may not recognize it and may confuse it with rubbish. Context with verbs like "carry" and "travel" usually makes the meaning clear.
Synonyms
stretcher (Modern medical term for a simple flat frame; "litter" can be more decorative or enclosed and is often used in historical or literary contexts.)
Antonyms
walk (If a person walks, they move by themselves instead of being carried in a litter.)
Collocations
carried on a litter
|royal litter
|funeral litter
|medical litter
|field litter
Themes
history
|medicine
|transportation
|travel
Examples
- The injured soldier was carried from the battlefield on a litter.
- In ancient times, nobles traveled through the city in ornate litters.
- Servants lowered the litter so that the queen could step out.
- The explorers fashioned a makeshift litter from branches and rope.
- Four bearers lifted the litter and moved slowly down the narrow street.
Learner examples
- The man was too weak to walk, so they carried him on a litter.
- In the story, the king travels in a litter.
- They made a simple litter to move the injured woman.
- Two men held the front of the litter and two held the back.
- Workers lifted the litter and took the patient to the road.
Grammar
Dictionary form
litter
IPA
GB/lˈɪtɚ/
US/lˈɪtɚ/
Syllables & stress
lit - ter (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (lit)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: litter
- Plural: litter, litters
Verb
- Base: litter
- 3rd Person Singular: litters
- Present Participle: littering
- Past: littered
Word family
Forms
litters
noun
littering
verb
littered
verb
Related words
litterer
noun
litterbug
noun
Negative and opposite forms
litter-free
adjective
Advanced or less common
littermate
noun
Expressions
cat litter
1/kˈæt lˈɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
absorbent material for cat toilets
Special dry material that you put in a box for a cat to use as a toilet inside your home.
Examples
- We need to buy more cat litter before the weekend.
- She prefers clumping cat litter because it is easier to clean.
drop litter
1/dɹˈɑp lˈɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
to leave litter on the ground
To throw or leave trash on the ground in a public place instead of using a bin.
Examples
- People who drop litter here can be fined.
- Please don't drop litter on the bus.
litter bin
1/lˈɪtɚ bˈɪn/
fixed phrase
public rubbish container
A container in a public place where people should put their litter.
Examples
- There are not enough litter bins in the city center.
- Please use the litter bin instead of dropping that on the ground.
litter box
1/lˈɪtɚ bˈɑks/
fixed phrase
indoor toilet box for pets
A box inside a house that is filled with litter, where a cat or small pet can go to the toilet.
Examples
- Please clean the litter box before guests arrive.
- They keep the litter box in the bathroom to control the smell.
litter bug
1/lˈɪtɚ bˈʌɡ/
fixed phrase
informal
person who drops litter in public
A person who drops trash on the ground in public places instead of using a bin.
Examples
- The campaign poster says, "Don't be a litter bug!"
- Only a litter bug would throw a bottle out of a car window.
litter tray
1/lˈɪtɚ tɹˈeɪ/
fixed phrase
tray that holds pet litter
A shallow box or tray that holds litter for a cat or small pet to use as a toilet inside.
Examples
- She put the litter tray in a quiet corner of the kitchen.
- Change the water and clean the litter tray every day.
pick up litter
1/pˈɪk ˈʌp lˈɪtɚ/
fixed phrase
to collect litter from the ground
To collect pieces of trash from the ground and put them into a bag or bin.
Examples
- Every Saturday, volunteers meet to pick up litter along the river.
- Students were asked to pick up litter after the school festival.