noun / verb

litter

LIT-er/ˈlɪtər/

Rubbish or objects scattered untidily over an area.

Litter covers the park path beside the waste bin.

Discarded cups, wrappers and a crushed can lie scattered across a public park path beside a bench and a waste bin.

Etymology

litterOld Frenchportable bed; straw bedding

Old French litiere covered both a portable bed and straw bedding. The modern rubbish sense probably grew from the image of strewing straw, extending to objects scattered about in disorder.

In context

Keep It Clean0:35

is litter picking legal multiple people have stopped me on the streets to ask me this question and the answer is yes absolutely there's no law prohibiting anyone from cleaning up the public domain

How to litter pick

More examples

She picked up the litter along the path.
Tools littered the workshop floor.
The sign asked visitors not to litter.

Forms

litter · litters · littered · littering

Similar words

trash: The discarded material, not necessarily scattered.
debris: Often fragments or remains rather than everyday discarded items.