Word
sitting
Phoneticssit·ting, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈsɪtɪŋ/
UK/sˈɪtɪŋ/
Definitions
01a session or meeting
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Law Formal
n. a period of time when a group of people, like a court or a parliament, meets to do official work.
n. a formal session of a legislative body, court, or committee during which official business is conducted.
“The final sitting of the court will take place next Tuesday morning.”
“The parliamentary sitting was extended late into the night as members debated the emergency legislation before the winter recess.”
Antonyms
02meal service
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Cooking British English
n. one of the times when a meal is served in a restaurant that is too small to serve everyone at once.
n. a scheduled period during which a meal is served, typically when a venue requires multiple rotations of guests.
“We missed the first sitting for dinner, so we have to wait until 8:00 PM.”
“The cruise ship offers two sittings for dinner to accommodate all passengers in the main dining room without overcrowding.”
03artistic pose
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. a period of time you spend sitting still so that an artist can paint or photograph you.
n. a period of time during which a model poses for an artist, photographer, or sculptor.
“The famous author had to endure five sittings before the portrait was finished.”
“The artist requested a final sitting to capture the subtle play of light on the subject's face before the exhibition opened.”
Synonyms
04currently in office
C1 · Advanced Formal
adj. describing someone who currently holds an official position, like a president or a judge.
adj. currently holding a specific official, judicial, or legislative position.
“It is very rare for a sitting president to lose an election in this country.”
“The sitting judge recused herself from the case due to a potential conflict of interest involving the defendant's legal counsel.”
Real-World Examples
“He became the first ever sitting US president to set foot in North Korea when he visited seven years ago.” “They were talking to each other throughout – no one was sitting with me.” “Jaques recalls losing someone close to him when he was 18, while sitting his A-levels.” Etymology
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”).
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”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
01. sitting duck
02. sitting pretty
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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