- pit
- pit1 [pıt] n▬▬▬▬▬▬▬1¦(hole)¦2¦(mine)¦3¦(mark)¦4¦(untidy place)¦5 be the pits6 in/at the pit of your stomach7¦(car racing)¦8¦(in a theatre)¦9¦(in a garage)¦10 a/the pit of something11¦(in fruit)¦12¦(body part)¦13¦(business)¦▬▬▬▬▬▬▬[Sense: 1-5,7-13; Origin: Old English pytt][Sense: 6; Date: 1800-1900; : Dutc]1.) ¦(HOLE)¦a) a hole in the ground, especially one made by digging▪ The female digs a pit in which to lay the eggs.▪ a five-foot deep pit→↑sandpitb) a large hole in the ground from which stones or minerals are obtained by digginggravel/sand/chalk pit2.) ¦(MINE)¦especially BrE a coal mine▪ Dad first went down the pit (=worked in a coal mine) when he was 15 years old.▪ a national strike against pit closures (=when a coal mine is closed permanently)3.) ¦(MARK)¦a small hollow mark in the surface of something, especially on your skin as the result of a disease▪ the deep pits left by smallpox4.) ¦(UNTIDY PLACE)¦ [usually singular]spoken a house or room that is dirty, untidy, or in bad condition5.) be the pitsspoken informal to be extremely bad▪ The company refused to pay - I think it's the pits.6.) in/at the pit of your stomachif you have a feeling in the pit of your stomach, you have a sick or tight feeling in your stomach, usually because you are nervous or afraid▪ I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach that something terrible was going to happen.7.) ¦(CAR RACING)¦the pitsthe place beside the track in a car race where cars can come in for petrol, new tyres etc→↑pit stop8.) ¦(IN A THEATRE)¦an ↑orchestra pit9.) ¦(IN A GARAGE)¦a hole in the floor of a garage that lets you get under a car to repair it▪ an inspection pit10.) a/the pit of sthliterary a situation which makes you feel very bad▪ Just thinking about the future plunged her into a pit of despair .11.) ¦(IN FRUIT)¦especially AmE the single large hard seed in some fruitsBritish Equivalent: stone▪ a peach pit12.) ¦(BODY PART)¦ informalan ↑armpit13.) ¦(BUSINESS)¦AmE the area of a ↑stock exchange where people buy and sell sharesBritish Equivalent: floorpit 2pit2 v past tense and past participle pitted present participle pitting1.) [T usually passive]to put small marks or holes in the surface of somethingbe pitted with sth▪ The whole street was pitted with potholes.2.) [T] especially AmE to take out the single hard seed inside some fruits= ↑stone▪ Peel and pit two avocados.3.) [i]AmEto stop in a car race to get petrol or have your car repaired→↑pittedpit against / [pit sb/sth against sb/sth] phr vto test someone's strength, ability, power etc in a competition or fight against someone or something else▪ We'll be pitting our team against the champions.pit your wits against sb(=compete against someone using your intelligence or knowledge)▪ Pit your wits against family or friends!pit yourself against sth/sb▪ The men had to pit themselves against the forces of nature.pit out phr vto ↑sweat so much that your clothes become wet under your arms
Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.