sitter

¹ American  

[sit-er] / ˈsɪt ər /

noun

1. a person who sits.

2. a brooding hen.

3. a person who stays with young children while the parents go out; baby-sitter.

4. a person who provides routine or custodial care temporarily or part-time, as for an elderly person or a pet whose owner is on vacation.

5. Slang. the buttocks; rump.

---

Sitter ² American  

[sit-er] / ˈsɪt ər /

noun

1. Willem de 1872–1934, Dutch astronomer and mathematician.

---

sitter ¹ British  

/ ˈsɪtə /

noun

1. a person or animal that sits

2. a person who is posing for his or her portrait to be painted, carved, etc

3. a broody hen or other bird that is sitting on its eggs to hatch them

4. (in combination) a person who looks after a specified person or thing for someone else

   flat-sitter

5. short for baby-sitter

6. anyone, other than the medium, taking part in a seance

7. anything that is extremely easy, such as an easy catch in cricket

---

Sitter ² British  

/ ˈsɪtə /

noun

1. Willem de (ˈwɪləm də). 1872–1934, Dutch astronomer, who calculated the size of the universe and conceived of it as expanding

---

Etymology

Origin of sitter

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at sit ¹, -er ¹

Explanation

Don’t squash the children! A sitter can be anyone who sits — in a chair, on the floor, or anywhere else — but it’s often short for babysitter. They don’t actually sit on the babies, though. We hope. In addition to the person who sits or models for an oil painter, a sitter can also be someone who watches children as a paid job. It's short for babysitter: "Good news, guys, we're having the nice sitter tonight, the one who lets us stay up past bedtime!" The origin of sitter and babysitter isn't completely clear, but some experts guess the sit part comes from birds sitting on their eggs before they hatch.

Example Sentences

"We made arrangements in terms of time off work. We've got a cat sitter sorted and everything else," the 63-year-old told the BBC.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

He was fortunate to still be there after Harry Brook dropped a sitter in the slips, the latest in a long line of fielding blunders by England this series, before starting to play his shots.

From Barron's • Dec. 17, 2025

The TV set was my sitter, and I became obsessed with movies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

The nearly 70-year retrospective of portrait drawings in pencil and paint by Los Angeles artist Don Bachardy revealed the works to be like performances: Both artist and sitter participated in putting on a pictorial show.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

Henri the painter was occupied, for Holman’s Department Store had employed not a flag-pole sitter but a flag-pole skater.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

• curator
• keeper
• overseer
• protector
• steward
• superintendent
• supervisor
• warden
• watchdog