What does "sit" mean?
An act of sitting.
Sit
/sɪt/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of sitting.
- Grammar: sit is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: pose, appear for the exam, baby-sit, babysit.
- Useful contrasts: dutch staat, arising, ball.
- Usage evidence: I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.
How to use "sit"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sit" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "sit" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "sit" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sit" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "sit" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "pose" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "sit", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An act of sitting.
- 2 Clipping of situation. abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal
"The increasing scope of the disaster was relayed in short, terse sentences whose brevity does not conceal the unfolding nightmare. […] In mid-afternoon at 1600: “Sit is getting worse; need help badly,” “have considerable number of wounded that are unable to evacuate.”"
- 3 Initialism of special information tone. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 4 Subsidence of the roof of a coal mine.
- 5 Initialism of Special Investigation Team. India, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 An event, usually lasting one full day or more, where the primary goal is to sit in meditation. rare
- 7 Initialism of spontaneous ignition temperature. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
- 8 Initialism of sterile insect technique abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks. copulative, intransitive
"After a long day of walking, it was good just to sit and relax."
- 2 serve in a specific professional capacity wordnet
- 3 To move oneself into such a position. intransitive
"I asked him to sit."
- 4 be in a position in which one's upper body is largely upright and supported by one's backside wordnet
- 5 To occupy a given position. intransitive
"The dishes are still sitting on the table!"
Show 22 more definitions
- 6 show to a seat; assign a seat for wordnet
- 7 To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition. copulative, intransitive
"And Moses said to […] the children of Reuben, Shall your brothren go to war, and shall ye sit here?"
- 8 sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions wordnet
- 9 To be a member of a deliberative body.
"I currently sit on a standards committee."
- 10 take a seat wordnet
- 11 Of a legislative or, especially, a judicial body such as a court, to be in session.
"In what city is the circuit court sitting for this session?"
- 12 be in session wordnet
- 13 To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh.
"The calamity sits heavy on us."
- 14 assume a posture as for artistic purposes wordnet
- 15 To be adjusted; to fit.
"Your new coat sits well."
- 16 work or act as a baby-sitter wordnet
- 17 To be accepted or acceptable; to work. intransitive
"How will this new contract sit with the workers?"
- 18 be located or situated somewhere wordnet
- 19 To cause to be seated or in a sitting posture; to furnish a seat to. causative, transitive
"Sit him in front of the TV and he might watch for hours."
- 20 be around, often idly or without specific purpose wordnet
- 21 To accommodate in seats; to seat. transitive
"The dining room table sits eight comfortably."
- 22 To babysit. US, ambitransitive
"I'm going to sit for them on Thursday."
- 23 To take, to undergo or complete (an examination or test). Australia, New-Zealand, UK, transitive
- 24 To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.
"The partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not."
- 25 To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of oneself made, such as a picture or a bust.
"I'm sitting for a painter this evening."
- 26 To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.
"like a good miller that knows how to grind, which way soever the wind sits"
- 27 To keep one's seat when faced with (a blow, attack); to endure, to put up with. obsolete, transitive
"Louisa, who […] had but ill born the commencement of this conversation, could sit it no longer, and hastily throwing up the sash, complained of the intense heat of the room."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sit"?
Common synonyms include: pose, appear for the exam, baby-sit, babysit, be found, be gravid.
How do you use "sit" in a sentence?
I'm going to sit on the bench over there next to the street lamp.
How do you pronounce "sit"?
Pronounced /sɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sed- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *sédyeti Proto-Germanic *sitjaną Proto-West Germanic *sittjan Old English sittan Middle English sitten English sit From Middle English sitten, from Old English sittan, from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“sit”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian sitte, Low German sitten, Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Swedish sitta, Norwegian Bokmål sitte, Norwegian Nynorsk sitja; and with Irish suigh, Latin sedeo, Russian сиде́ть (sidétʹ).
Etymology 2
From the Chinese surname, from Cantonese 薛 (sit³).