Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Sense: 1-5,7-13
Origin: Old English pytt
Sense: 6
Date: 1800-1900
Language: Dutch

pit

1 noun
     
Related topics: Food, Human, Plants, Industry, Motor Vehicles
pit1 [countable]
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
2

mine

TI 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 (=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 smallpox
4

untidy place

[usually singular] spoken a house or room that is dirty, untidy, or in bad condition
5

be the pits

spoken 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

DSO 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

TTC a hole in the floor of a garage that lets you get under a car to repair it:
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 EnglishHBPDF the single large hard seed in some fruits [= stone British English]
a peach pit
12

body part

informalHBH an armpit
13

business

American EnglishBFS the area of a stock exchange where people buy and sell shares [= floor British English]
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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