zit

noun

ˈzit How to pronounce zit (audio)
plural zits
Synonyms of zitnext
informal
: a small, red, swollen spot on the skin : pimple
got a zit on his face
… drama that goes well beyond the pre-prom zit …— Mike Blaxill et al.

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of zit in a Sentence

“Look at all these zits—I'm hideous!” wailed the high schooler
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Yet in 2024, tweens are proudly calling attention to zits by wearing bright, noticeable Starface Pimple Patches out in public—including school. — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 29 Dec. 2024 Then there are classics like Mario Badescu’s Drying Lotion, which uses a potent blend of sulfur, salicylic acid, zinc oxide, and calamine to calm zits overnight. — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025 Powered by 2% salicylic acid and 4% niacinamide, this creates an invisible barrier over your zits to shrink them and reduce redness. — Kiana Murden, Vogue, 6 Jan. 2025 You might be tempted to whip out your strongest acne-fighting products to destroy your stubborn zit. — Jenna Ryu, SELF, 1 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for zit

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of zit was in 1965

Browse Nearby Words

zit
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zit. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

Etymology

origin unknown

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on zit

Nglish: Translation of zit for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All