sit
verb /sɪt/
/sɪt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they sit | /sɪt/ /sɪt/ |
| he / she / it sits | /sɪts/ /sɪts/ |
| past simple sat | /sæt/ /sæt/ |
| past participle sat | /sæt/ /sæt/ |
| -ing form sitting | /ˈsɪtɪŋ/ /ˈsɪtɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] to rest your weight on your bottom with your back straight, for example on/in a chair
- She sat and stared at the letter in front of her.
- + adv./prep. May I sit here?
- Don't just sit there—do something!
- Just sit still!
- He went and sat beside her.
- the man who had sat next to me on the plane
- She was sitting at her desk.
- She always sits in that chair.
- Four people sat around the table.
- It’s too cold to sit outside.
- The children were all sitting quietly and listening.
- Make sure you are sitting comfortably, with your back straight and supported.
- She came over to talk to us, leaving him sitting alone.
- We asked the waiter for a bigger table so that we could all sit together.
- sit doing something He just sits there watching the television.
- We sat talking for hours.
- I sat waiting for the soloist to walk onto the stage.
Grammar Point sitsit- You can use on, in and at with sit. You sit on a chair, a step, the edge of the table, etc. You sit in an armchair. If you are sitting at a table, desk, etc. you are sitting on a chair close to it, usually so that you can eat a meal, do some work, etc.
Synonyms sitsit- sit down
- be seated
- take a seat
- perch
- sit to rest your weight on your bottom with your back straight, for example on a chair:
- May I sit here?
- Sit still, will you!
- sit down/sit yourself down to move from a standing position to a sitting position:
- Please sit down.
- Come in and sit yourselves down.
- be seated (formal) to be sitting:
- She was seated at the head of the table.
- take a seat to sit down Take a seat is used especially as a polite way of inviting somebody to sit down: Please take a seat.
- perch (rather informal) to sit on something, especially on the edge of something:
- She perched herself on the edge of the bed.
- to sit/sit down/be seated/take a seat/perch on something
- to sit/sit down/be seated/take a seat in something
Extra Examples- Elmer was happily sitting in his high chair.
- He sat bolt upright, hands folded in front of him.
- He was sitting against the wall.
- He would sit quietly and watch what was happening.
- She sat demurely on the edge of her chair.
- She sat under an apple tree.
- She was sitting astride a horse.
- The children sat cross-legged on the floor.
- The manager sat behind his desk.
- They sat opposite each other.
- The kids sat around a campfire.
- We sat at a table in the corner.
- We sat in silence for a few moments.
- We reached the hospital and were told to sit in the waiting room.
- I can't just sit in front of the computer for hours.
- He was sitting on the couch with a book when I got home.
- She noticed the older man sitting across from her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- motionless
- still
- quietly
- …
- let somebody
- gesture for somebody to
- gesture to somebody to
- …
- against
- around
- astride
- …
- a place to sit
- sit down (with somebody)
- sit and…
- …
- [transitive] sit somebody + adv./prep. to put somebody in a sitting position
- He lifted the child and sat her on the wall.
- She sat him down in front of the fire with a hot drink.
- [intransitive] to be in a particular place
- + adv./prep. A large bus was sitting outside.
- The pot was sitting in a pool of water.
- I have an exercise bike just sitting at home not being used.
- The jacket sat beautifully on her shoulders (= fitted well).
- + adj. The box sat unopened on the shelf.
- [intransitive] to have an official position as something or as a member of something
- sit as something He was sitting as a temporary judge.
- They both sat as MPs in the House of Commons.
- sit in/on something She sat on a number of committees.
- sit for something For years he sat for Henley (= was the MP for that constituency).
- [intransitive] (of a parliament, committee, court of law, etc.) to meet in order to do official business
- Parliament sits for less than six months of the year.
- [transitive, intransitive] (rather formal) to do an exam (British English)
- sit something Candidates will sit the examinations in June.
- Most of the students sit at least 5 GCSEs.
- (especially North American English) sit for something He was about to sit for his entrance exam.
- [intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to rest on a branch, etc. or to stay on a nest to keep the eggs warm
- [intransitive] to sit on its bottom with its front legs straight
- Rover! Sit!
- (especially North American English) (also babysit British and North American English)[intransitive] sit (for somebody) to take care of babies or children for a short time while their parents are out
- Who's sitting for you?
on chair, etc.
of things
have official position
of parliament, etc.
exam
of bird
of dog
take care of children
Word OriginOld English sittan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zitten, German sitzen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sedere and Greek hezesthai.
Idioms
be sitting pretty
- (informal) to be in a good situation, especially when others are not
- With profits at record levels, the company’s certainly sitting pretty this year.
rest/sit on your laurels
- (usually disapproving) to feel so satisfied with what you have already achieved that you do not try to do any moreTopics Successc2
sit at somebody’s feet
- to admire somebody very much, especially a teacher or somebody from whom you try to learn
sit/stand bolt upright
- to sit or stand with your back straightTopics Appearancec2
sit comfortably, easily, well, etc. (with something)
- to seem right, natural, suitable, etc. in a particular place or situation
- His views did not sit comfortably with the management line.
sit in judgement (on/over/upon somebody)
- to decide whether somebody’s behaviour is right or wrong, especially when you have no right to do this
- How dare you sit in judgement on me?
sit on the fence
- to avoid becoming involved in deciding or influencing something
- He tends to sit on the fence at meetings.
sit/stand silently by
- to do or say nothing to help somebody or deal with a difficult situation
- We can’t sit silently by and let them arrest him!
sit tight
- to stay where you are rather than moving away or changing position
- We sat tight and waited to be rescued.
- to stay in the same situation, without changing your mind or taking any action
- Shareholders are being advised to sit tight until the crisis passes.