noun

pit

piht

noun

A hole or hollow in the ground.

"Workers dug a pit to lay the new foundation."

The hard stone found inside certain fruits, such as peaches or cherries.

"Be careful not to bite down on the pit."

verb

To set two things or people in direct competition or opposition.

"The tournament pits the top two teams against each other."

To remove the stone from a fruit.

"She pitted the cherries before baking the pie."

How to Use Pit

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA hole in the ground, the stone inside a fruit, or (as a verb) to pit people/teams against each other, or remove a fruit's stone.

Common pairings

pit someone against dig a pit pit a cherry

pitted past tense, pitted past tense, pitted past tense, pits plural, pits plural, pits singular, pits singular, pits singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “pit” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

Workers dug a _____ to lay the new foundation.

From Old English pytt, from Proto-West Germanic *puti, ultimately from Latin puteus ("trench, pit, well").

spit pulpit armpit cockpit decrepit