From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlitterlit‧ter1 /ˈlɪtə $ -ər/ ●●● S3 W3 noun 1 waste [uncountable]RUBBISH/WASTE waste paper, cans etc that people have thrown away and left on the ground in a public place SYN rubbish, trash, garbage People who drop litter can be fined in some cities. a town with a litter problemGRAMMAR: Countable or uncountable?• Litter is an uncountable noun and is not used in the plural. You say: The ground is covered in litter. ✗Don’t say: The ground is covered in litters.• Litter is always followed by a singular verb: Litter was left all over the field.• When talking about one piece of paper, can etc, you say a piece of litter: I didn’t see a single piece of litter.2 baby animals [countable]HBABABY/HAVE A BABY a group of baby animals that a mother gives birth to at the same timelitter of a litter of kittens► see thesaurus at baby, group3 for cat’s toilet [uncountable]DHP small grains of a dry substance that is put in a container that a cat uses as a toilet indoors cat litter a litter tray4 forest [uncountable] (also leaf litter) dead leaves and other decaying plants on the ground in a forest5 → a litter of something6 for animal’s bed [uncountable]TA a substance such as straw that a farm animal sleeps on7 bed [countable]TTB a chair or bed for carrying important people, used in past times
Examples from the Corpus
litter• Our cat, Elsie, just had a litter of six kittens.• If we were to introduce a new toy to a litter of puppies, they would play with it.• The gutter between the sidewalk and granite slabs is cleared of leaves and litter.• a picnic area with large wooden tables and litter bins• Therefore, it pays a hungry hamster or a weak deer to miscarry a male-biased litter and retain a female-biased one.• People who lived and worked near the building complained of crime, litter and other problems associated with the feeding program.• You can be fined £100 for dropping litter.• There is litter on the seats of the train I take to Westminster.• The vet asked how many litters the dog had had.• These streets are full of litter.• Never throw litter into ponds or streams. 10 Protect wildlife, plants and trees.• I am tired of picking up litter thrown by other people.• The vacant lot across the street is filled with litter.drop litter• We disturb wildlife, pollute air, drop litter and literally wear out the footpaths.• Always clear up after a picnic and never drop litter 9 Help to keep all water clean.• But what if they drop litter?litterlitter2 verb 1 [transitive] (also litter up)UNTIDY if things litter an area, there are a lot of them in that place, scattered in an untidy way Clothes littered the floor.litter something with something The desk was littered with papers.2 → be littered with something3 [intransitive, transitive]RUBBISH/WASTE to leave waste paper, cans etc on the ground in a public place4 [intransitive] technicalHBABABY/HAVE A BABY if an animal such as a dog or cat litters, it gives birth to babies→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
litter• The sign says, "Please do not litter."• Shreds of plastic, old iron, glass, animal bones littered both sides of the path.• Dirty plates littered the kitchen.• Although telephone lines to the city remain severed, a Sarajevo radio reporter said corpses littered the pavement next to the town hall.• Although the pet database is littered with a cat entry here and there, cat registration is not required in San Francisco.• The breeze fanning in off the ocean was dense with brine and the beach was littered with debris.• The yard in front of the cottage was littered with discarded buckets, an old bath, a mangle and a pile of driftwood.• Stirling himself took over his brother's flat again where the floor would be littered with maps and bits of equipment.Origin litter1 (1300-1400) Old French litiere, from lit “bed” 