pit
[noun]
Synonyms:
- hole, abyss, cavity, chasm, crater, dent, depression, hollow
[verb]
Synonyms:
- scar, dent, indent, mark, pockmark

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. pit¹ /pɪt/ noun [countable]
[Sense 1-5,7-13: Language: Old English; Origin: pytt]
[Sense 6: Date: 1800-1900; Language: Dutch]

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 ⇒ sandpit
b) a large hole in the ground from which stones or minerals are obtained by digging
gravel/sand/chalk pit

2. MINE especially British English 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

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 smallpox

4. UNTIDY PLACE [usually singular] informal a house or room that is dirty, untidy, or in bad condition

5. be the pits informal to be extremely bad:
The company refused to pay – I think it’s the pits.

6. in/at the pit of your stomach if 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 pits the place beside the track in a car race where cars can come in for petrol, new tyres etc ⇒ pit stop

8. IN A THEATRE an orchestra pit

9. IN A GARAGE a hole in the floor of a garage that lets you get under a car to repair it:
an inspection pit

10. a/the pit of something literary a situation which makes you feel very bad:
Just thinking about the future plunged her into a pit of despair.

11. IN FRUIT especially American English the single large hard seed in some fruits Synonym : stone British English:
a peach pit

12. BODY PART informal an armpit

13. BUSINESS American English the area of a stock exchange where people buy and sell shares Synonym : floor British English

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. pit² verb (past tense and past participle pitted, present participle pitting)

1. [transitive usually passive] to put small marks or holes in the surface of something
be pitted with something
The whole street was pitted with potholes.

2. [transitive] especially American English to take out the single hard seed inside some fruits Synonym : stone:
Peel and pit two avocados.

3. [intransitive] American English to stop in a car race to get petrol or have your car repaired
⇒ pitted
pit somebody/something against somebody/something phrasal verb
to 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 somebody (=compete against someone using your intelligence or knowledge)
Pit your wits against family or friends!
pit yourself against something/somebody
The men had to pit themselves against the forces of nature.
pit out phrasal verb American English informal
to sweat so much that your clothes become wet under your arms

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

pit
noun
I. hole
ADJ. deep, shallow | bottomless | black, dark | chalk, gravel a disused gravel pit
VERB + PIT dig

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

pit
II. coal mine
ADJ. open They extract the mineral from open pits and underground mines.
VERB + PIT go down He went down the pit at the age of fifteen.
PIT + NOUN village There's no more work in these pit villages.
closure
PREP. in a/the ~ Most boys in the village worked in the pits.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

PIT
Principal, Interest & Taxes

[TahlilGaran] Acronyms and Abbreviations Dictionary ▲