littering
littering — noun
1. the act of leaving rubbish such as drinks cans, food wrappers, or cigarette ends
the act of leaving rubbish such as drinks cans, food wrappers, or cigarette ends in shared public spaces rather than throwing them away in a proper bin.
Trang received a fine of NT$3,000 for littering in the city park.
fine + for + littering
Eve picked up three plastic bottles because she hates littering near her home.
A sign at the trailhead warned hikers that littering carries a fine of NT$6,000.
The amount of littering near the night market has dropped since more bins were installed.
Littering on the beach harms sea animals that mistake plastic bags for food.
- dropping litter
more descriptive, often used in anti-litter campaigns
- cleaning up
the opposite action of removing waste
用法筆記
Commonly appears in official signs and regulations as 'No littering', which functions as a prohibition.
常見錯誤
littering — verb
- litteringpresent simple I / you / we / they
- litterings3rd person singular
- litteringing-ing form
- litteringedpast simple
1. to make a place untidy by leaving or scattering things such as rubbish, waste, o
to make a place untidy by leaving or scattering things such as rubbish, waste, or objects around it.
Some teenagers littered the park bench with empty crisp packets and drink cans.
litter + place + with + objects
Samir's children littered the living room floor with toys and colouring books.
After the carnival, the crowd littered the main street with confetti and streamers.
Joshua reminded his classmates not to litter the classroom with paper scraps.
The park was littered with rubbish after the outdoor concert ended late last night.
文法句型
litter + place + with + objects
用法筆記
The passive form 'be littered with' is very common, especially when describing the state of a place after an event.
常見錯誤
2. if many small objects lie scattered around a place in an untidy way, they cover
if many small objects lie scattered around a place in an untidy way, they cover the area or are spread across it.
Old newspapers and plastic bottles littered the floor of the empty house.
objects + litter + place
Golden leaves littered the garden path after the strong wind blew all night.
Broken glass littered the road where the truck had crashed into the fence.
Torn posters and leaflets littered the station platform after the morning rush.
- be strewn across
similar meaning but implies a wider distribution
- be scattered over
more neutral, less negative connotation
文法句型
objects + litter + place
用法筆記
The subject of this sense is always the scattered objects, not a person. For example, 'newspapers littered the floor' — the newspapers are the subject doing the scattering.
3. when a female mammal gives birth to a group of young animals at the same time, t
when a female mammal gives birth to a group of young animals at the same time, typically a cat, dog, pig, or other animal that produces multiple offspring in one pregnancy.
Omar's cat littered four kittens inside a warm cardboard box last night.
litter + number + young animals
The rescue dog had littered seven puppies, and each one found a loving home.
The pig on Ilan's farm littered twelve piglets during the spring season.
A stray cat that the neighbours feed has just littered three tiny kittens.
- give birth to
the general term for any animal or human; 'litter' specifically refers to multiple young born together
文法句型
litter + number + young animals
用法筆記
This sense is almost exclusively used for mammals that typically produce several young at once (cats, dogs, pigs, rabbits). For humans or single-birth animals, use 'give birth to' instead.