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to sit

to sit

47 1.0
To show someone to a seat or place them in one
  • verb
  • /sɪt/
translation icon : sentar a
  • That's why he had to sit at our table as well.

So if anybody's bashful, sit at the far back.

Examples

  • Then she made Annie sit on the sofa to drink her tea.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • The teacher next asks Maria to sit and join the group.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Please come in and just sit here for a while.

  • Sorry if you could sit right there.

  • Just sit right down there.

  • Leticia's mother enters and asks you to sit at the table.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Josie motioned for him to sit in the chair next to her.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • " He gestured for Barney to sit next to him as the other board members watched in astonishment."

    Fiction book (1993)
  • "Why don't you sit over there by the fountain?" Lufa suggested, noticing Lenora's distress.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Please come in and sit here for a while to enjoy the view.

Synonyms

to sit down
vsto sit
190 1.0

Help someone into a seat by showing or guiding them

is the single word form for the same action
to seat
vsto sit
165 1.8

To show people where to sit

focuses on guiding an individual rather than supplying chairs
to usher
vsto sit
79 3.5

To guide people to their seats at events like a theater

is a general act of showing or assigning places, not event escorting

Idioms

12 8.1

Not do anything when action is needed

2 9.9

To sit and do nothing instead of working

1 7.4

To do nothing when someone should act

A humorous saying that Latin words sound more important

Phrasal Verbs

1.0

Move from standing into a chair or onto the ground

to sit around
  • Informal
350 1.1

To spend time sitting and doing very little without a clear purpose

190 1.0

Help someone into a seat by showing or guiding them

126 1.0

To move from lying down to an upright position

to sit back
  • Informal
103 3.5

To do nothing when you should help

to sit back
  • Informal
87 2.7

To lean back and relax while you watch

to sit tight
  • Informal
80 3.7

To wait patiently and not act

66 1.0

Stay seated without moving

47 1.8

To stay awake late and not go to bed

Stay until the end of something boring or unpleasant

34 4.2

Delay making a decision about something while thinking about it

27 3.2

To go to a class or meeting to watch and learn without taking part

24 4.2

To take someone's place for a short time and do their job

23 3.9

Attend a meeting or class as a visitor, not a regular participant

16 3.0

Relax and feel happy about something without worrying

16 4.4

To feel wrong or uncomfortable about something

14 5.1

To stay in a place as a protest to demand change

12 5.6

Do nothing while something bad or important happens

11 3.3

Not take part in an activity, often because someone is hurt or chooses not to

11 9.9

To sit down, often said strongly to tell someone to calm down

Join a group for a short time to take part without being a regular member

2 3.9

Stay in a place or situation until something boring ends

to fence-sit
  • Informal
8.1

Stay neutral and not choose a side in a disagreement

Delay making a decision by waiting instead of choosing

To ride very close behind another cyclist to save energy

7.1

To keep your ideas without sharing or using them

Compounds

21 3.6

A formal meal or meeting where people sit together to talk

16 4.9

A protest where people sit in a place and refuse to leave

6 2.3

An exercise where you lie on your back and lift your upper body to strengthen stomach muscles

Workers stay at their workplace and refuse to work until demands are met

sit-down
  • Archaic
2 6.4

Workers who stay in their workplace and refuse to leave until the employer meets their demands

Money kept to pay for a planned new project or a large cost

How Formal

to install
  • Formal
69 3.9
to sit
47 1.0
escort
175 4.0
to seat
165 1.8
to show
1.0

Surface Forms

sit infinitive
sitting present participle
sits third person singular
sat past
sat past participle

Etymology

Sit comes from an old English word sittan, meaning 'to sit' or 'take a seat'. That is why we also use it for showing or placing people in seats — to 'sit' someone is to put them in a 'seat'.