Word
littered
Phoneticslit·tered
US/ˈɫɪtɝd/
UK/lˈɪtəd/
Definitions
01covered in trash
adj. covered with pieces of trash or objects left lying around.
adj. covered with scattered rubbish or discarded items.
“The park was littered with plastic bottles and paper after the concert ended.”
“The shoreline was heavily littered with marine debris, highlighting the urgent need for a community-led cleanup operation.”
Usage
Usually followed by the preposition 'with'.
02full of examples
adj. containing many examples of something, usually something bad or difficult.
adj. containing a high frequency or abundance of something, often with a negative or critical connotation.
“His first draft was littered with spelling mistakes and grammar errors.”
“The history of the project is littered with failed attempts and broken promises, making investors wary of the new proposal.”
Literary
Usage
Almost always used with the preposition 'with'.
Teaching tip
This is a figurative use. While 'littered' usually refers to trash, here it suggests that the errors or items are scattered everywhere like rubbish.
Real-World Examples
“For this latest study, the authors collected samples from “ant graveyards”—sites littered with the corpses of Ophiocordycep s-infected ants—at the Adolpho Ducke Forest Reserve in Brazil’s Central Amazon region.” “Sargassum littered beaches in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in spring 2023, making a mess during spring break.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/littered