1
a(1)
: a hole, shaft, or cavity in the ground
(2)
: mine
(3)
: a scooped-out place used for burning something (such as charcoal)
b
: an area often sunken or depressed below the adjacent floor area: such as
(1)
: an enclosure in which animals are made to fight each other
(2)
: a space at the front of a theater for the orchestra
(3)
: an area in a securities or commodities exchange in which members trade (such as stocks)
2
3
: a hollow or indentation especially in the surface of an organism: such as
a
: a natural hollow in the surface of the body
b
: one of the indented scars left in the skin by a pustular disease : pockmark
c
: a minute depression in the secondary wall of a plant cell functioning in the intercellular movement of water and dissolved material
4
: any of the areas alongside an auto racecourse used for refueling and repairing the cars during a race
—often used in plural with the
pitted; pitting
1
a
: to place, cast, bury, or store in a pit
b
: to make pits in
especially
: to scar or mark with pits
2
a
: to set (fighting birds, such as gamecocks) into or as if into a pit to fight
b
: to set into opposition or rivalry
—usually used with against
1
: to become marked with pits
especially
: to preserve for a time an indentation made by pressure
2
: to make a pit stop
: the stone of a drupaceous fruit
Cite this Entry
“Pit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pit. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.
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