/ ˈlɪtə(r); NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U ] small pieces of rubbish / garbage such as paper, cans and bottles, that people have left lying in a public place :
There will be fines for people who drop litter .
2.
[ sing. ] litter of sth a number of things that are lying in an untidy way :
The floor was covered with a litter of newspapers, clothes and empty cups.
3.
[ U ] a dry substance that is put in a shallow open box for pets, especially cats, to use as a toilet when they are indoors :
cat litter
( BrE )
a litter tray
( NAmE )
a litter box
4.
[ C ] a number of baby animals that one mother gives birth to at the same time :
a litter of puppies
the runt (= the smallest and weakest baby) of the litter
5.
[ U ] the substance, especially straw , that is used for farm animals to sleep on
6.
[ C ] a kind of chair or bed that was used in the past for carrying important people
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to be spread around a place, making it look untidy :
Piles of books and newspapers littered the floor.
Broken glass littered the streets.
2.
litter (sth) (with sth) [ usually passive ] to leave things in a place, making it look untidy :
[ vn ]
The floor was littered with papers.
[ v ] ( NAmE )
He was arrested for littering.
3.
[ vn ] be littered with sth to contain or involve a lot of a particular type of thing, usually sth bad :
Your essay is littered with spelling mistakes.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (originally referring to a structure used to carry people carried on men's shoulders or by animals): from Old French litiere , from medieval Latin lectaria , from Latin lectus bed. Senses 1 and 2 date from the mid 18th cent.