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sitting
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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈsɪtɪŋ/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈsɪtɪŋ/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(sit′ing)
- From the verb sit: (⇒ conjugate)
- sitting is: ⓘClick the infinitive to see all available inflections
- v pres p
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026sit•ting /ˈsɪtɪŋ/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
- the act of a person or thing that sits.
- a period of being seated, as in posing for a portrait.
- a session, as of a court.
adj. [before a noun]
- for, suited to, or accomplished while sitting:sitting areas.
- (of a target) readily seen or hit:The slow freighter was a sitting target for the jets.
- occupying an official office;
incumbent:The sitting mayor will be impossible to defeat.
- in session;
active:a sitting legislature.
Idioms
- Idioms sitting pretty, [no object] in a favorable position.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026sit•ting
(sit′ing),USA pronunciation n.
- the act of a person or thing that sits.
- a period of remaining seated, as in posing for a portrait or reading a book.
- the space on or in which one sits, as in a church.
- a brooding, as of a hen upon eggs;
incubation.
- the number of eggs on which a bird sits during a single hatching;
clutch.
- a session, as of a court or legislature.
- the time or space allotted to the serving of a meal to a group, as aboard a ship.
adj. - (of a bird) occupying a nest of eggs for hatching.
- of, for, or suited to sitting:a sitting area in the lobby.
- holding an official position or office;
occupying an appointed or elected seat;
incumbent:a sitting pontiff.
- in session or at work;
active:a sitting legislature.
- Idioms sitting pretty, in an auspicious position:He's been sitting pretty since he got that new job.
- 1175–1225; Middle English; see sit1, -ing1, -ing2
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sitting /ˈsɪtɪŋ/ n - a continuous period of being seated: I read his novel at one sitting
- such a period in a restaurant, canteen, etc, where space and other facilities are limited: dinner will be served in two sittings
- the act or period of posing for one's portrait to be painted, carved, etc
- a meeting, esp of an official body, to conduct business
- the incubation period of a bird's eggs during which the mother sits on them to keep them warm
adj - in office: a sitting Member of Parliament
- seated: in a sitting position
sit1 /sɪt/USA pronunciation
v., sat/sæt/USA pronunciation sat, sit•ting. v. - to rest with the body supported by one's buttocks or thighs;
be seated:[no object]I was sitting at my desk when the phone rang.
- to (cause to) lower the body into a position of rest supported by one's buttocks or thighs: [no object;
(~ + down)]Please sit (down); I'll be back in a minute.[~ + object (+ down)]sat the child (down) on the sofa.
- to be located or situated;
lie or rest:[no object]The house sits on a cliff.
- [no object] to place oneself in position for an artist, etc.;
pose.
- to remain quiet:[no object]Let the matter sit.
- Animal Behavior[no object] (of a bird) to cover eggs with the body for hatching;
brood.
- to fit or hang, such as a garment:[no object]That shirt doesn't sit well on him.
- to have an official position, such as a legislator or judge:[no object;often: ~ + on + object]She sits on the committee.
- to hold a session:[no object]The court sits in judgment.
- (used after a word or root) to take care of (the specified thing) like a baby-sitter:to house-sit (= to live in another's house while the owners are away); to plant-sit (= to take care of another's plants while the owners are away).
- to be accepted in the way indicated:[no object]His answer didn't sit right with us.
- Informal Terms to be acceptable to the stomach:[no object]My breakfast didn't sit too well.
- to provide seating accommodations;
seat:[~ + object;no passive]Our table only sits six people.
- Informal Terms to baby-sit:[no object]She used to sit for us when our daughter was a baby.
- sit around, [no object;
usually: ~ + around + verb-ing] to do nothing:The workers were sitting around ignoring their work.
- sit in (on), [~ + in (+ on + object)] to be a spectator at (some event or circumstance):I'd like permission to sit in on your class.
- sit on or upon, [~ + on/upon + object]
- to inquire into or deliberate over:A coroner's jury sat on the case.
- to put off for a time;
postpone.
- Informal Termsto check;
squelch:to sit on nasty rumors.
- sit out:
- [~ + out + object] to stay to the end of:He sat out the whole movie in silence.
- to stay, wait, or endure longer than: [~ + out + object]to sit out one's rivals.[~ + object + out]to sit them out.
- to keep one's seat during (a dance, etc.);
fail to participate in (an activity): [~ + out + object]I think I'll sit out the next dance.[~ + object + out]I'll have to sit this one out; I'm a little tired.
- sit up:
- to (cause to) rise from a lying or reclining position to a sitting position: [no object]Sit up straight and answer me.[~ + object + up]The nurse sat him up in his bed.
- [no object;
often: ~ + up + verb-ing] to be awake and active during one's usual sleep time:to sit up all night playing solitaire.
- [no object] to become interested;
take notice:This will make them sit up and notice.
Idioms
- Idioms sit on one's hands:
- to fail to applaud.
- to fail to take proper or necessary action.
- Idioms sit tight, [no object] to take no action;
wait:Sit tight, and when I give you the signal, then move.
sit•ter, n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026sit1
(sit),USA pronunciation v., sat or (Archaic) sate;
sat or (Archaic) sit•ten;
sit•ting. v.i. - to rest with the body supported by the buttocks or thighs;
be seated.
- to be located or situated:The house sits well up on the slope.
- to rest or lie (usually fol. by on or upon):An aura of greatness sits easily upon him.
- to place oneself in position for an artist, photographer, etc.;
pose:to sit for a portrait.
- to remain quiet or inactive:They let the matter sit.
- Animal Behavior(of a bird) to perch or roost.
- Animal Behavior(of a hen) to cover eggs to hatch them;
brood.
- to fit, rest, or hang, as a garment:The jacket sits well on your shoulders.
- to occupy a place or have a seat in an official assembly or in an official capacity, as a legislator, judge, or bishop.
- to be convened or in session, as an assembly.
- to act as a baby-sitter.
- Meteorology(of wind) to blow from the indicated direction:The wind sits in the west tonight.
- to be accepted or considered in the way indicated:Something about his looks just didn't sit right with me.
- Informal Termsto be acceptable to the stomach:Something I ate for breakfast didn't sit too well.
v.t. - to cause to sit;
seat (often fol. by down):Sit yourself down. He sat me near him.
- to sit astride or keep one's seat on (a horse or other animal):She sits her horse gracefully.
- to provide seating accommodations or seating room for;
seat:Our dining-room table only sits six people.
- Informal Termsto serve as baby-sitter for:A neighbor can sit the children while you go out.
- sit down:
- to take a seat.
- to descend to a sitting position;
alight.
- to take up a position, as to encamp or besiege:The military forces sat down at the approaches to the city.
- sit in:
- to attend or take part as a visitor or temporary participant:to sit in at a bridge game; to sit in for the band's regular pianist.
- to take part in a sit-in.
- sit in on, to be a spectator, observer, or visitor at:to sit in on classes.
- sit on or upon:
- to inquire into or deliberate over:A coroner's jury was called to sit on the case.
- [Informal.]to suppress;
silence:They sat on the bad news as long as they could.
- Informal Termsto check or rebuke;
squelch:I'll sit on him if he tries to interrupt me.
- Idioms sit on one's hands:
- Idiomsto fail to applaud.
- Idiomsto fail to take appropriate action.
- sit out:
- to stay to the end of:Though bored, we sat out the play.
- to surpass in endurance:He sat out his tormentors.
- to keep one's seat during (a dance, competition, etc.);
fail to participate in:We sat out all the Latin-American numbers.
- Informal Terms sit pretty, to be in a comfortable situation:He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.
- sit tight, to bide one's time;
take no action:I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.
- sit up:
- to rise from a supine to a sitting position.
- to delay the hour of retiring beyond the usual time.
- to sit upright;
hold oneself erect.
- [Informal.]to become interested or astonished:We all sat up when the holiday was announced.
- bef. 900; Middle English sitten, Old English sittan; cognate with Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Old Norse sitja; akin to Gothic sitan, Latin sedēre, Greek hézesthai (base hed-); compare set, sedate, cathedral, nest
10. meet. assemble. convene. gather..
sit2
(sit),USA pronunciation v.
- Drugs(in prescriptions) may it be.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sit /sɪt/ vb (sits, sitting, sat) (mainly intr)- (also tr; when intr, often followed by down, in, or on) to adopt or rest in a posture in which the body is supported on the buttocks and thighs and the torso is more or less upright: to sit on a chair, sit a horse
- (transitive) to cause to adopt such a posture
- (of an animal) to adopt or rest in a posture with the hindquarters lowered to the ground
- (of a bird) to perch or roost
- (of a hen or other bird) to cover eggs to hatch them; brood
- to be situated or located
- (of the wind) to blow from the direction specified
- to adopt and maintain a posture for one's portrait to be painted, etc
- to occupy or be entitled to a seat in some official capacity, as a judge, elected representative, etc
- (of a deliberative body) to be convened or in session
- to remain inactive or unused: his car sat in the garage for a year
- (of a garment) to fit or hang as specified: that dress sits well on you
- to weigh, rest, or lie as specified: greatness sits easily on him
- (transitive) chiefly Brit to take (an examination): he's sitting his bar finals
- (usually followed by for) chiefly Brit to be a candidate (for a qualification): he's sitting for a BA
- (intransitive; in combination) to look after a specified person or thing for someone else: granny-sit
- (transitive) to have seating capacity for
- sit tight ⇒
- to wait patiently; bide one's time
- to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly
Etymology: Old English sittan; related to Old Norse sitja, Gothic sitan, Old High German sizzen, Latin sedēre to sit, Sanskrit sīdati he sits
'sitting' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
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