pit
Forms
- Plural
- pits
- present (v1)
- pit
- past (v2)
- pitted
- past participle (v3)
- pitted
- present participle
- pitting
- 3rd person singular
- pits
Definitions
1.A hole in the ground.
- The meadow around the town is full of old pits.
2.An area at a racetrack used for refueling and repairing the vehicles during a race.
- Two drivers have already gone into the pit this early in the race.
3.The section of a marching band containing mallet percussion instruments and other large percussion instruments too large to be marched, such as the tam-tam; the front ensemble. Can also refer to the area on the sidelines where these instruments are placed.
4.A mine.
1.To bring (something) into opposition with something else.
- Are you ready to pit your wits against one of the world's greatest puzzles?
2.To make pits in; to mark with little hollows.
- Exposure to acid rain pitted the metal.
3.To put (an animal) into a pit for fighting.
4.To return to the pits during a race for refuelling, tyre changes, repairs etc.
- Bottas had to pit earlier than expected for fresh tyres. Hamilton followed him in next time around and the two drivers were instructed to stay off the kerbs to protect their tyres.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #3987
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-West Germanic *puti
Old English pytt
Middle English pit
English pit
From Middle English pit, pet, püt, from Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic *puti, from Latin puteus (“trench, pit, well”), although there are phonetic difficulties.