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 followed by on orupon ).
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.
(of a bird) to perch or roost.
(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.
(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. to be acceptable to the stomach.
Something I ate for breakfast didn't sit too well.
Chiefly British. to take a test or examination.
I’m studying now, and I plan to sit in June.
to cause to sit; seat (often followed bydown ).
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. to serve as baby-sitter for.
A neighbor can sit the children while you go out.
Chiefly British. to take (a test or examination).
She finally received permission to sit the exam at a later date.
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.
sit in on to be a spectator, observer, or visitor at.
to sit in on classes.
sit on / upon
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 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.
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 tight, to bide one's time; take no action.
I'm going to sit tight till I hear from you.
sit on one's hands,
to fail to applaud.
to fail to take appropriate action.
sit pretty, to be in a comfortable situation.
He's been sitting pretty ever since he got that new job.
(also tr; when intr, often foll 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
(tr) 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
to rest or lie as specified
the nut was sitting so awkwardly that he couldn't turn it
(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
(tr) to take (an examination)
he's sitting his bar finals
(usually foll by for) to be a candidate (for a qualification)
he's sitting for a BA
(intr; in combination) to look after a specified person or thing for someone else
granny-sit
(tr) to have seating capacity for
informal well placed or established financially, socially, etc
to wait patiently; bide one's time
to maintain one's position, stand, or opinion firmly
See set.
First recorded before 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- ); cf. set, sedate, cathedra, nest
From Latin
Sit down! When you sit, you rest your weight on your bottom instead of standing on your feet. You can sit in a chair, sit on the floor, or sit in a giant bowl of chocolate pudding if you want to. When you tell a good dog to sit, she lowers her hindquarters to the floor, with her back legs bent. But when you sit ten people at your little kitchen table, you provide seats for them, and when you sit for an artist, you pose while she paints or draws your portrait. Objects sit by simply not moving: "The cars sit, stuck in rush hour traffic, while the subway speeds past."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The tub edge should be wide enough to sit on and swing a leg over.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
I couldn’t just sit with it in my head where there’s no physical manifestation of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Instead of only telling patients to sit less, physicians may eventually encourage them to limit television time and choose more mentally engaging activities when they are seated.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Places like Wigan - in Greater Manchester, Burnham's stronghold - often languish next to the bigger cities in whose shadow they sit.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Spying an empty bus shelter on the opposite side of the street, I sit on the icy metal bench and wrap my arms tight around my calves, rest my forehead on my knees.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Further investigation by the SIT has revealed pilferage also from the pedestals and door frames and the court says that approximately 4.54kg gold has gone missing since 2019.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2025
Local media have reported that the SIT held its first meeting on Tuesday, which was focused on assigning roles and responsibilities to its members.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025
In-depth studies on low-volume SIT have the potential to improve training programs and exercise regimens.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024
“Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
“Alex Douglas, turn around and SIT DOWN,” she repeated.
From "Eleven" by Tom Rogers
Flores, wearing the same outfit with her blonde hair tied back, sat a few feet from him with the couple flanked by their lawyers.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
He and Flores sat quietly, wearing headphones for translation while their attorneys conferred with the judge.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Witkoff sat in a row of hard wooden benches often occupied by people aiming to make public displays of support for Trump—J.D.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
“He would do a very good job,” Trump said of Sharaa, as the two leaders sat beside each other at a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Turkey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Hannah walked in and sat down next to me.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Investors regard Bloom’s solid oxide fuel cell as a robust source of power to sate data centers’ endless appetite.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
That led him to the petroleum industry, where working on oil rigs in the punishing North Sea and near conflict zones helped sate his risk appetite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
I always order chicken sate and the green papaya salad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026
It seems likely that Sir Keir's rhetoric in PMQs will sate some Labour MPs for now.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
The hunger of a dragon is slow to wake, but hard to sate.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
This chief might have sitten for the picture of a patriarch; his fine, serious, expressive countenance, large features, and long bushy beard, afforded a favourable specimen of his tribe.
From Lander's Travels The Travels of Richard Lander into the Interior of Africa by Huish, Robert
Business, being carried on with great unanimity, was soon despatched; and after they had sitten near two months, the king, in a speech full of the most gracious expressions, thought proper to dissolve them.
From The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part F. From Charles II. to James II. by Hume, David
"Oft have I by thy cradle sitten, And fondly seen thee sleip;150 Bot now I gae about thy grave, The saut tears for to weip."
From English and Scottish Ballads, Volume II (of 8) by Various
Now then, sir, sitten doon and mak theeself comfortable.
From The Humourous Story of Farmer Bumpkin's Lawsuit by Harris, Richard
And at o syde of the emperours table, sitten many philosofres, that ben preved for wise men, in many dyverse scyences; as of astronomye, nigromancye, geomancye, pyromancye, ydromancye, of augurye and of many other scyences.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 08 Asia, Part I by Hakluyt, Richard
Lord Justice Popplewell, sitting with Mr Justice Hilliard, ruled on Wednesday that the EA only being able to prosecute environmental offences would "produce unreasonable and anomalous results".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
The bank calculates that households are sitting on $68 billion to $167 billion of potential equity investment capacity through the first quarter of next year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
On the other hand, if a country is not a hereditary monarchy, its sitting head of state is almost certainly not on its circulating coins.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
"They get blisters on their feet, their eyes become watery and the hot sand burns their skin and eats up their hair when they are sitting," said the 40-year-old who owns around 500 camels.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Father, Betsie, and Toos were sitting on chairs pulled back against the wall.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.