pit
noun · verb
Simple meaning
An enclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pitIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A sizeable hole (usually in the ground)
A trap in the form of a concealed hole
motor racing
An area at a racetrack used for refueling and repairing the vehicles during a race.
music
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.
A workplace consisting of a coal mine plus all the buildings and equipment connected with it
countable
A small surface hole or depression, a fossa.
verb
transitive
To make pits in; to mark with little hollows.
transitive
To put (an animal) into a pit for fighting.
Remove the pits from
transitive
To remove the stone from a stone fruit or the shell from a drupe.
To use the PIT maneuver, especially during a car chase.
transitive
To bring (something) into opposition with something else.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: An enclosed area into which gamecocks, dogs, and other animals are brought to fight, or where dogs are trained to kill rats.
Used this way, pit is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use pit
- “A British term for `quarry' is `stone pit'”noun
- “They dug a pit to bury the body.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to make pits in
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “pit” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.