1 [count] : a hole in the ground usually made by digging
▪ The explorers discovered a burial pit containing human bones. ▪ The impact of the meteor created a huge pit. [=crater] ▪ The hikers dug a pit for the fire. 2 [count] a : a large, deep hole in the ground from which stones or minerals are dug out
▪ a gravel/chalk/tar pit — see also sandpit
b chiefly Brit : a coal mine 3 [count] : something that uses up or holds a very large amount of money, food, information, etc.
▪ My house is such a money pit—I'm always paying for repairs on it! ▪ My brother's stomach is a bottomless pit. [=my brother eats constantly] ▪ The Internet is a bottomless pit of information. [=the Internet contains a great amount of information] 4 [count] : an area separated from and often placed below the areas next to it: such as a : an outdoor area where food is cooked
▪ a barbecue pit
b US : an area where particular investments are traded
▪ the oil futures pit of the New York Mercantile Exchange
c : an area where animals are brought to fight
d : the space in a theater where an orchestra plays
▪ The conductor walked down into the (orchestra) pit and stood at the podium.
e : an area of dirt or grass used for playing certain games
▪ a horseshoe pit
f : mosh pit
g : an area beside a racetrack used for servicing cars during a race — usually plural ▪ The driver stopped in the pits to refuel. — see also pit stop 5 [count] : a small hole or dent on the surface of something
▪ The car's door was covered with pits and scratches. ▪ The boy had pits [=pockmarks] on his face. 6 a [count] : a very bad or unpleasant place or situation — usually + of ▪ The downtown area is a pit of depression/despair/hopelessness.
b the pits informal : something that is very bad or unpleasant
▪ You caught the flu on your birthday? That's the pits! [=that is awful] ▪ This rainy weather is the absolute pits. [=I hate this rainy weather] ▪ I usually like her movies, but her most recent one is really the pits! [=her most recent one is terrible] 7 [count] informal : armpit