# sit

Pronunciation: say "SIT" /sɪt/

## Verb

1. To be in, or move into, a position with the weight resting on the buttocks and the upper body upright.
   - Simple: To rest your weight on your bottom with your back upright, or to move into that position.
   - _She prefers to sit near the back during long meetings._
   - _The old man sat motionless on the park bench for hours._
2. To be situated or placed in a particular position or location.
   - Simple: To be in a certain place or spot.
   - _Several cottages sit along the coastal path._
   - _The castle sits high above the surrounding valley._
3. To remain at rest in a given place or condition, staying unused or unchanged for a time.
   - Simple: To stay in one place or state without being moved or used.
   - _The unopened letters sit on his desk untouched._
   - _The proposal sat on the manager's desk for weeks._
4. To hold a place as a member of a council, board, or governing body.
   - Simple: To be a member of a group that makes decisions.
   - _Three scientists sit on the advisory committee._
   - _She sits in the upper house of the legislature._
5. Of a court, legislature, or similar body, to be formally in session and conducting official business.
   - Simple: When a court or lawmaking group meets to carry out its official work.
   - _The committees sit throughout the spring to review the budget._
   - _The supreme court sits to hear appeals from lower courts._
8. To be accepted or considered acceptable; to feel right to those involved.
   - Simple: To be accepted by someone, or to feel right.
   - _The proposal sits comfortably with the board's long-term strategy._
   - _The verdict did not sit well with the victims' families._
6. To hold a player back from a game or from the starting lineup, or, of a player, to not take part in a game. *(US)*
   - Simple: To keep a player from playing in a game or from starting it, or of a player, to miss a game.
   - _The team plans to sit several starters once it clinches a playoff spot._
   - _He sat three games after the league suspended him for an illegal hit._
7. To lie, rest, or bear on something; to press or weigh upon it.
   - Simple: To rest or press down on something with weight.
   - _The decision sat heavily on her conscience for years._
   - _Responsibilities sit lightly on those who delegate well._
9. To place someone in a seat or move them into a sitting position.
   - Simple: To put someone in a seat or help them sit down.
   - _Please sit the guests at the front table._
   - _The host sat each visitor according to a seating chart._
10. To look after a child or children for a short while in the parents' absence. *(US)*
   - Simple: To take care of someone's children while they are away.
   - _I used to sit for families in my neighborhood during college._
   - _He sat for the Johnsons while they attended the concert._
11. To take and complete a formal examination or test. *(Australia, New Zealand, UK)*
   - Simple: To take part in and complete a test or exam.
   - _Thousands of pupils sit national exams each summer._
   - _He sat his history examination without revising properly._
12. Of a bird, to cover and warm eggs with the body so that they hatch; to brood or incubate them.
   - Simple: To cover eggs with the body and keep them warm until they hatch, as a hen does.
   - _Broody hens sit patiently on their eggs until the chicks emerge._
   - _The goose sat on her nest through cold nights to keep the eggs warm._
14. To be adjusted to the body or to a surface; to fit in a particular way.
   - Simple: To fit or rest on the body in a certain way, as clothes do.
   - _The tailored jacket sits neatly across the chest._
   - _These pants sit a little high at the waist._
15. To take a position so that an artist can make a picture, sculpture, or photograph of you.
   - Simple: To pose so that an artist can paint, draw, or photograph you.
   - _Wealthy families often sit for formal portraits._
   - _He sat for the sculptor over several long afternoons._
16. To provide seating for a particular number of people.
   - Simple: To have enough seats for a number of people.
   - _The theater can sit nearly two thousand patrons._
   - _The conference room sits forty delegates around its long table._
20. To occupy a particular position or direction, as the wind does when it blows steadily from one quarter.
   - Simple: To be in a certain position, or to point in a certain direction.

## Noun

13. An instance or period of sitting down.
   - Simple: A period of time spent sitting down.
   - _A brief sit on the park bench was all he needed to catch his breath._
   - _The old armchair invites a long, lazy sit on a rainy afternoon._
18. Clipping of situation: the current state of affairs, especially in terse military or emergency reports. *(colloquial)* — Clipping of situation.
   - Simple: Clipping of situation: how things stand right now, used in short work or army messages.

## Verb

17. To keep one's seat against a blow or attack; to endure or put up with something without yielding. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To stay seated and take a blow or hardship bravely, without backing down.

## Noun

19. An event, usually lasting a full day or more, devoted mainly to seated meditation. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A meditation event, often a full day or longer, where people mainly sit and meditate together.
   - _She signed up for a weekend sit at the retreat center, hoping two days of silence would help her slow down._
   - _The center's annual sit draws students from across the region._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A sinking or settling of the roof of a coal mine.

## Origin

From Middle English "sitten," from Old English "sittan," from Proto-Germanic "*sitjaną," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "*sed-" meaning "sit." It is related to Dutch "zitten," German "sitzen," Swedish "sitta," and also to Latin "sedeo" and Russian "сидеть." The informal noun sit, meaning a situation, is a separate word, shortened from situation.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sit (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).