Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense pits, present participle pitting, past tense, past participle pitted
1. countable noun
A pit is a coal mine.
It was a better community then when all the pits were working.
2. countable noun
A pit is a large hole that is dug in the ground.
Eric lost his footing and began to slide into the pit.
Synonyms: hole, gulf, depression, hollow More Synonyms of pit
3. countable noun
A gravel pit or clay pit is a very large hole that is left where gravel or clay has been dug from the ground.
This area of former farmland was worked as a gravel pit until 1964.
4. verb [usually passive]
If two opposing things or people are pitted against one another, they are in conflict.
You will be pitted against people who are every bit as good as you are. [beV-ed + against]
This was one man pitted against the universe. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: scar, mark, hole, nick More Synonyms of pit
5. plural noun [usually plural]
In motor racing, thepits are the areas at the side of the track where drivers stop to get more fuel and to repair their cars during races.
He moved quickly into the pits and climbed rapidly out of the car.
6. See also pit stop
7. plural noun
If you describe something as the pits, you mean that it is extremely bad.
[spoken]
Mary Ann asked him how dinner had been. 'The pits,' he replied.
8. countable noun
A pit is the stone of a fruit or vegetable.
[US]
9. See also pitted, fleapit, orchestra pit, sandpit
10.
See pit one's wits against sb
11.
See in the pit of one's stomach
12. a bottomless pit
More Synonyms of pit
pit in British English1
(pɪt)
noun
1.
a large, usually deep opening in the ground
2.
a.
a mine or excavation with a shaft, esp for coal
b.
the shaft in a mine
c.
(as modifier)
pit pony
pit prop
3.
a concealed danger or difficulty
4. the pit
5. Also called: orchestra pit
the area that is occupied by the orchestra in a theatre, located in front of the stage
6.
an enclosure for fighting animals or birds, esp gamecocks
7. anatomy
a.
a small natural depression on the surface of a body, organ, structure, or part; fossa
b.
the floor of any natural bodily cavity
the pit of the stomach
8. pathology
a small indented scar at the site of a former pustule; pockmark
9.
any of various small areas in a plant cell wall that remain unthickened when the rest of the cell becomes lignified, esp the vascular tissue
10.
a working area at the side of a motor-racing track for servicing or refuelling vehicles
11.
a section on the floor of a commodity exchange devoted to a special line of trading
12.
a rowdy card game in which players bid for commodities
13.
an area of sand or other soft material at the end of a long-jump approach, behind the bar of a pole vault, etc, on which an athlete may land safely
14.
the ground floor of the auditorium of a theatre
15. British a slang word for bed (sense 1), bedroom (sense 1)
16. another word for pitfall (sense 2)
verbWord forms: pits, pitting or pitted
17. (transitive; often foll byagainst)
to match in opposition, esp as antagonists
18.
to mark or become marked with pits
19. (transitive)
to place or bury in a pit
Word origin
Old English pytt, from Latin puteus; compare Old French pet, Old High German pfuzzi
pit in British English2
(pɪt) mainly US and Canadian
noun
1.
the stone of a cherry, plum, etc
verbWord forms: pits, pitting or pitted
2. (transitive)
to extract the stone from (a fruit)
Word origin
C19: from Dutch: kernel; compare pith
pit in British English3
(pɪt)
verb
a Scot word for put
pit in American English1
(pɪt)
noun
1.
a hole or cavity in the ground
2.
an abyss
3.
hell
used with the
4.
a covered hole used to trap wild animals; pitfall
5.
any concealed danger; trap; snare
6.
an enclosed area in which animals are kept or made to fight
a bear pit
7.
a.
the shaft of a coal mine
b.
the coal mine itself
8.
a hollow or depression on a part of the human body
armpit
9.
a small hollow in a surface; specif., a depressed scar on the skin, as that resulting from smallpox
10.
an area below floor level or ground level
11. British
a.
the ground floor of a theater, esp. the part at the rear
b.
the spectators in that section
12.
the section, often below floor level, in front of the stage, where the orchestrasits
13. US
the part of the floor of an exchange where a special branch of business is transacted
corn pit
14. US
a.
a work area for mechanics, often below floor level, for repairing and servicing automotive vehicles
b.
the area along the side of a track where racing cars make their pit stops
15. Botany
a tiny depression in a plant cell wall
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈpitted or ˈpitting
16.
to put, cast, or store in a pit
17.
to make pits in
18.
to mark with small scars
pitted by smallpox
19.
to set (cocks, etc.) in a pit to fight
20.
to set in competition (against)
verb intransitive
21.
to become marked with pits
22. US
to make a pit stop during an auto race
Idioms:
the pits
Word origin
ME < OE pytt < early WGmc & NGmc *puttia (> ON pyttr, Ger pfütze) < L puteus, well, prob. < IE base *pēu-, to chop, cut > L pavire, to beat, strike
pit in American English2
(pɪt)
US
noun
1.
the hard stone, as of the plum, peach, or cherry, which contains the seed
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈpitted or ˈpitting
2.
to remove the pit from (a fruit)
Word origin
Du < MDu pitte, akin to pith
More idioms containing
pit
pit your wits against someone
Examples of 'pit' in a sentence
pit
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
Work with your agent to set up refreshment pit stops where your home or grounds can be seen from flattering angles.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They are like pit stops for me.
The Sun (2016)
The pit bull then attacked his dog as he fended it off with his walking stick.
The Sun (2007)
Take a pit stop at the surrounding caves.
The Sun (2014)
Its climax was two pit bulls fighting.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
In other languages
pit
British English: pit VERB
If two opposing things or people are pitted against one another, they are in conflict.
You will be pitted against people who are every bit as good as you are.
American English: pit
Brazilian Portuguese: competir
Chinese: 使对立
European Spanish: enfrentar a
French: opposer
German: sich gegenüberstehen
Italian: opporre
Japanese: 対抗する
Korean: ~와 맞붙다
European Portuguese: competir
Latin American Spanish: enfrentar a
British English: pit NOUN
A gravel pit or clay pit is a very large hole which is dug from the ground.
This area of former farmland was originally worked as a gravel pit.
American English: pit
Brazilian Portuguese: fosso
Chinese: 大坑挖出沙砾或黏土后留下的
European Spanish: cantera
French: fosse
German: Grube
Italian: cava
Japanese: 採掘場
Korean: 구덩이
European Portuguese: fosso
Latin American Spanish: cantera
Translate your text for free
All related terms of 'pit'
mud pit
A mud pit is a large tank that holds mud used as a drilling fluid.
saw-pit
(esp formerly) a pit above which a log is sawn into planks with a large pitsaw
the pit
hell
bear pit
a place, such as parliament or the stock market ,where there are a lot of aggressive , argumentative and competitive people
catch pit
a pit in a drainage system in which matter that might otherwise block a sewer is collected so that it may periodically be removed
clay pit
a pit or mine from which clay is extracted
coal pit
a pit where coal is dug
lime pit
(in tanning ) a pit containing lime in which hides are placed to remove the hair
money pit
an object or venture which requires one to spend large sums of money on a regular basis
mosh pit
an area at a rock-music concert , usually in front of the stage, where members of the audience dance in a frantic and violent manner
open pit
An open pit is a mine where the coal , metal , or minerals are near the surface and underground passages are not needed .
pit boss
a casino employee who supervises gambling-table activity
pit bull
a short, heavy , broad-chested dog with large, powerful jaws and a short, smooth coat
pit pony
formerly, a pony used in coal mines to pull loads of coal
pit prop
a wooden beam used to prop up the roof of a tunnel in a coal mine
pit-sawn
(of timber , esp formerly) sawn into planks by hand in a saw-pit
pit stop
In motor racing, if a driver makes a pit stop , he or she stops in a special place at the side of the track to get more fuel and to make repairs.
pit viper
any venomous snake of the New World family Crotalidae, having a heat-sensitive organ in a pit on each side of the head: includes the rattlesnakes
snake pit
a place characterized by chaos , mutual hostility , or extreme competitiveness
stone pit
an open surface excavation for the extraction of building stone , slate , marble , etc, by drilling , blasting , or cutting
borrow pit
an excavation dug to provide fill to make up ground elsewhere
gravel pit
an open cast working for the extraction of gravel
pit sawing
a method of sawing logs or timbers , as into boards , in which the piece to be cut is laid horizontally across a pit and cut by a saw operated vertically by two people, one above and one in the pit below the piece
pit worker
a person who works down a mine , esp a coal miner
barbecue pit
a trench in which wood or charcoal is burned for barbecuing
orchestra pit
In a theatre , the orchestra pit is the space reserved for the musicians playing the music for an opera , musical , or ballet , immediately in front of or below the stage .
pit dwelling
a primitive dwelling consisting of a pit excavated in the earth and roofed over
bottomless pit
If you describe a supply of something as bottomless , you mean that it seems so large that it will never run out.
inspection pit
a hole in the floor of a garage , etc from which the underside of a vehicle can be examined and serviced
conversation pit
a usually sunken portion of a room or living area with chairs , sofas , etc., often grouped around a fireplace , where people can gather to talk
crumen
the suborbital gland in sheep, deer , or antelopes
fleapit
If you refer to a cinema or theatre as a fleapit , you mean that it is old and does not look very clean or tidy .
pitsaw
a large saw formerly used for cutting logs into planks , operated by two people, one standing on top of the log and the other in a pit underneath it
sandpit
A sandpit is a shallow hole or box in the ground with sand in it where small children can play.
make a pit stop
to visit a restroom
open-pit mining
a method of mining , usually for metallic ores , in which the waste and ore are completely removed from the sides and bottom of a pit which gradually becomes an enormous canyonlike hole
pit bull terrier
A pit bull terrier or a pit bull is a very fierce kind of dog. Some people train pit bull terriers to fight other dogs . It is illegal to own one in the UK.
the bottomless pit
the underworld ; hell
orchestra
An orchestra is a large group of musicians who play a variety of different instruments together . Orchestras usually play classical music .
American pit bull terrier
a dog resembling the Staffordshire bull terrier but somewhat larger: developed for dog-fighting; it is not recognized by kennel clubs and is regarded as dangerous . It is not allowed in some countries, including the UK
pit one's wits against sb
If you pit your wits against someone, you compete with them in a test of knowledge or intelligence .
pit your wits against someone
to use your intelligence to try to defeat someone
in the pit of one's stomach
If you have a feeling in the pit of your stomach , you have a tight or sick feeling in your stomach, usually because you are afraid or anxious .
a bottomless pit v-link PHR, PHR after v
If you describe something as a bottomless pit , you mean that it seems as if you can take things from it and it will never be empty or put things in it and it will never be full.