What does "sitting" mean?
A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.
Sitting
/ˈsɪtɪŋ/ adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.
- Grammar: sitting is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: session, assemblee, assembly, assignation.
- Useful contrasts: abandonment, adjournment, dissolution.
- Usage evidence: The paint on the seat on which you are sitting is still wet.
How to use "sitting"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "sitting" 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 "sitting" 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 "sitting" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "sitting" 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 "sitting" is acting as adj, noun, verb 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 "session" 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 "sitting", 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 A period during which one is seated for a specific purpose.
"Due to the sheer volume of guests, we had to have two sittings for the meal."
- 2 the act of assuming or maintaining a seated position wordnet
- 3 A seance or other session with a medium or fortuneteller.
""It's not always easy to get him, and of course a small fee, a guinea I think, is usual, but if you wanted a sitting I could work it." "You think him genuine?" Atkinson shrugged his shoulders."
- 4 (photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait) wordnet
- 5 A special seat allotted to a seat-holder, at church, etc.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 a session as of a legislature or court wordnet
- 7 The part of the year in which judicial business is transacted.
- 8 a meeting of spiritualists wordnet
- 9 A legislative session (in the sense of meeting, and not period).
- 10 The incubation of eggs by a bird.
- 11 A clutch of eggs laid by a brooding bird.
"we have thirty-four chicks from eight sittings of eggs"
- 12 An uninterrupted application to anything for a time; the period during which one continues at anything. idiomatic
"I read it in two sittings."
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of sit form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 Executed from a sitting position. not-comparable
- 2 Occupying a specific official or legal position; incumbent. not-comparable
"Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal bonuses to sitting chief executives if they meet ambitious growth targets. That model is still prevalent today."
Adjective
- 1 (of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks wordnet
- 2 not moving and therefore easy to attack wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The paint on the seat on which you are sitting is still wet."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "sitting"?
Common synonyms include: session, assemblee, assembly, assignation, at home, audience.
How do you use "sitting" in a sentence?
The paint on the seat on which you are sitting is still wet.
How do you pronounce "sitting"?
Pronounced /ˈsɪtɪŋ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English sittyng, sittynge, equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with Dutch zitting (“a sitting, session”), German Sitzung (“a sitting, session”), Swedish sittning (“a sitting, session”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English sittinge, sittynge, variant of sittinde, sittende, sittande, from Old English sittende (“sitting”), from Proto-Germanic *sitjandz (“sitting”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *sitjaną (“to sit”), equivalent to sit + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian sittend (“sitting”), Dutch zittend (“sitting”), German sitzend (“sitting”), Swedish sittande (“sitting”), Icelandic sitjandi (“sitting”).