sit

[[t]sɪ̱t[/t]]

♦

sits, sitting, sat

1) VERB If you are sitting somewhere, for example in a chair, your bottom is resting on the chair and the upper part of your body is upright.

[V prep/adv] Mother was sitting in her chair in the kitchen...

[V prep/adv] They sat there in shock and disbelief...

They had been sitting watching television...

[V adj] He was unable to sit still for longer than a few minutes. [Also V]

2) VERB When you sit somewhere, you lower your body until you are sitting on something.

[V prep/adv] He set the cases against a wall and sat on them...

[V prep/adv] Eva pulled over a chair and sat beside her husband...

When you stand, they stand; when you sit, they sit.

PHRASAL VERB

Sit down means the same as sit.

V P I sat down, stunned... V P prep/adv Hughes beckoned him to sit down on the sofa.

3) VERB If you sit someone somewhere, you tell them to sit there or put them in a sitting position.

[V n prep/adv] He used to sit me on his lap...

[V n prep/adv] He'll sit you in front of his computer and give you a glimpse of the problem.

PHRASAL VERB

To sit someone down somewhere means to sit them there.

V n P prep/adv She helped him out of the water and sat him down on the rock... Also V P n (not pron) V n P They sat me down and had a serious discussion about sex.

4) VERB If you sit for an artist or photographer, you place yourself in a sitting position so you can be painted or photographed.

[V for n] A person may well have been sitting for the artist for eight hours at a stretch.

5) VERB If you sit an examination, you do it. [BRIT]

[V n] June and July are the traditional months for sitting exams.

Syn:

take

(in AM, use take)

6) VERB: no cont If you sit on a committee or other official group, you are a member of it.

[V on/in n] He was asked to sit on numerous committees...

[V on/in n] I know of no professional person who has ever sat on a jury...

[V on/in n] The party's three MPs will continue to sit in parliament.

7) VERB When a parliament, legislature, court, or other official body sits, it officially carries out its work. [FORMAL]

Parliament sits for only 28 weeks out of 52...

The court would sit all night.

8) VERB If a building or object sits in a particular place, it is in that place. [WRITTEN]

[V prep/adv] Our new house sat next to a stream...

[V prep/adv] On the table sat a box decorated with little pearl triangles.

Syn:

stand

9) VERB To sit for someone means the same as to babysit for them. [INFORMAL]

[V for n] I've asked Mum to sit for us next Saturday.

10) → See also sitting

11) PHRASE: V inflects If you sit tight, you remain in the same place or situation and do not take any action, usually because you are waiting for something to happen.

sit on the fence → see fence

Sit tight. I'll be right back...

Life would continue to be hard but if they sat tight and trusted him things would get better.

Phrasal Verbs:

- sit around

- sit back

- sit by

- sit down

- sit in on

- sit on

- sit out

- sit through

- sit up