pit
12 ENTRIES FOUND:
plural
pits
plural
pits
Britannica Dictionary definition of PIT
1
[count]
:
a hole in the ground usually made by digging
-
The explorers discovered a burial pit containing human bones.
-
The impact of the meteor created a huge pit. [=crater]
-
The hikers dug a pit for the fire.
2
[count]
a
:
a large, deep hole in the ground from which stones or minerals are dug out
—
see also sandpit
-
a gravel/chalk/tar pit
b
chiefly British
:
a coal mine
3
[count]
:
something that uses up or holds a very large amount of money, food, information, etc.
-
My house is such a money pit —I'm always paying for repairs on it!
-
My brother's stomach is a bottomless pit. [=my brother eats constantly]
-
The Internet is a bottomless pit of information. [=the Internet contains a great amount of information]
4
[count]
:
an area separated from and often placed below the areas next to it: such as
a
:
an outdoor area where food is cooked
b
US
:
an area where particular investments are traded
-
the oil futures pit of the New York Mercantile Exchange
c
:
an area where animals are brought to fight
d
:
the space in a theater where an orchestra plays
-
The conductor walked down into the (orchestra) pit and stood at the podium.
e
:
an area of dirt or grass used for playing certain games
f
:
mosh pit
g
:
an area beside a racetrack used for servicing cars during a race
— usually plural
—
see also pit stop
-
The driver stopped in the pits to refuel.
5
[count]
:
a small hole or dent on the surface of something
-
The car's door was covered with pits and scratches.
-
The boy had pits [=pockmarks] on his face.
6
a
[count]
:
a very bad or unpleasant place or situation
— usually + of
-
The downtown area is a pit of depression/despair/hopelessness.
b
the pits
informal
:
something that is very bad or unpleasant
-
You caught the flu on your birthday? That's the pits! [=that is awful]
-
This rainy weather is the absolute pits. [=I hate this rainy weather]
-
I usually like her movies, but her most recent one is really the pits! [=her most recent one is terrible]
7
the pit of your/the stomach
:
the part of a person's stomach where strong feelings of nervousness, excitement, etc., can be felt
-
She felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach when he walked through the door.
—
compare 3pit
2
pit
/ˈpɪt/
verb
pits;
pitted;
pitting
2
pit
/ˈpɪt/
verb
pits;
pitted;
pitting
Britannica Dictionary definition of PIT
1
[+ object]
:
to make small holes or dents in (something)
—
see also pitted 2
-
A hailstorm badly pitted the car's roof.
2
[no object]
car racing
:
to make a pit stop
-
The driver was forced to pit because of engine problems.
pit against
[phrasal verb]
pit (someone or something) against (someone or something)
:
to cause (someone or something) to fight or compete against (another person or thing)
-
Tonight's game will pit Smith against Johnson for the championship. [=Smith will be playing against Johnson for the championship in tonight's game]
-
The team will be pitted against [=will be playing against] last year's champion in the finals.
-
The game requires you to pit your wits against the computer. [=to use your wits to try to defeat the computer]
—
compare 4pit
3
pit
/ˈpɪt/
noun
plural
pits
3
pit
/ˈpɪt/
noun
plural
pits
Britannica Dictionary definition of PIT
[count]
US
—
compare 1pit
