1
a(1)
: a hole, shaft, or cavity in the ground
(2)
: mine
(3)
: a scooped-out place used for burning something (such as charcoal)
b
: an area often sunken or depressed below the adjacent floor area: such as
(1)
: an enclosure in which animals are made to fight each other
(2)
: a space at the front of a theater for the orchestra
(3)
: an area in a securities or commodities exchange in which members trade (such as stocks)
2
3
: a hollow or indentation especially in the surface of an organism: such as
a
: a natural hollow in the surface of the body
b
: one of the indented scars left in the skin by a pustular disease : pockmark
c
: a minute depression in the secondary wall of a plant cell functioning in the intercellular movement of water and dissolved material
4
: any of the areas alongside an auto racecourse used for refueling and repairing the cars during a race
—often used in plural with the
pitted; pitting
1
a
: to place, cast, bury, or store in a pit
b
: to make pits in
especially
: to scar or mark with pits
2
a
: to set (fighting birds, such as gamecocks) into or as if into a pit to fight
b
: to set into opposition or rivalry
—usually used with against
1
: to become marked with pits
especially
: to preserve for a time an indentation made by pressure
2
: to make a pit stop
: the stone of a drupaceous fruit
Synonyms
Examples of pit in a Sentence
Noun (1)
removal of the tree stump left a gaping pit in the yard
Recent Examples on the Web
The New York Times, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Tens of thousands exposed in Iraq, Afghanistan Disposing of trash in open-air burn pits was a common practice, especially at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, which together burned trash in more than 270 pits in 2010, according to an estimate by the U.S. Defense Department's Central Command.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Peter Sblendorio, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
State of play: Denver's remarkable return to the NFL postseason will pit the team against the mighty Buffalo Bills, who'll be hard to beat in the frigid New York air.
—Esteban L. Hernandez, Axios, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pit 
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Noun
Little ones can frolic in the Snow Bounce room or in a pit of fake snowballs in the Northern Lights section, where representations of the aurora borealis drift above.
—The New York Times, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Tens of thousands exposed in Iraq, Afghanistan Disposing of trash in open-air burn pits was a common practice, especially at U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, which together burned trash in more than 270 pits in 2010, according to an estimate by the U.S. Defense Department's Central Command.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
Wins by both this weekend would pit Baltimore against Buffalo in the divisional round — the same round in which Allen’s Bills beat Jackson’s Ravens, 17-3, in 2021 in their first playoff meeting.
—Peter Sblendorio, Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
State of play: Denver's remarkable return to the NFL postseason will pit the team against the mighty Buffalo Bills, who'll be hard to beat in the frigid New York air.
—Esteban L. Hernandez, Axios, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for pit
Dictionary Entries Near pit
Cite this Entry
“Pit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pit. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pit
1 of 4 noun1
: a hole, shaft, or cavity in the ground
a gravel pit
2
: an area set off from and often sunken below neighboring areas: as
a
: an enclosure where animals (as cocks) are set to fight
b
: the space occupied by an orchestra in a theater
3
a
: a hollowed or indented area especially in the surface of the body
the pit of the stomach
b
: an indented scar (as from a boil)
4
plural
: worst entry 3 sense 1
it's the pits
5
: any of the areas alongside an auto racetrack used for servicing cars during a race
—often used in plural with the
pit
2 of 4 verb
pitted; pitting
1
a
: to put into or store in a pit
b
: to make pits in
especially
: to scar with pits
2
: to set against another in a fight or contest
pitted the courageous fighter against the champion
3
: to become marked with pits
pit
3 of 4 noun
: the stone of a fruit (as the cherry or peach) that is a drupe
pit
4 of 4 verb
pitted; pitting
: to remove the pit from
pitted dates
Etymology
Noun
Old English pytt "pit, hole in the ground"
Noun
from Dutch pit "the seed-containing stone of a fruit"
Medical Definition
pit
1 of 2 noun
: a hollow or indentation especially in a surface of an organism: as
a
: a natural hollow in the surface of the body
b
: one of the indented scars left in the skin by a pustular disease : pockmark
c
: a usually developmental imperfection in the enamel of a tooth that takes the form of a small pointed depression
pit
2 of 2 verb
pitted; pitting
: to make pits in
especially
: to scar or mark with pits
a face pitted by acne
: to become marked with pits
especially
: to preserve for a time an indentation made by pressure
a swollen area on the gingiva which pits readily —A. B. Wade
A. B. Wade Geographical Definition
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