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🕳️ A large hole 🕳️ A small hollow 🏟️ An activity area ⚔️ To set against 🔥 Hell 🍑 A fruit stone 🕳️ To make hollows 🍒 To remove stone
to pit

to pit

8 7.3
To make small dents on a surface
  • verb
  • /pɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : picar
  • The old statue was pitted and worn, showing signs of age and weather damage.
  • pitting attack

Examples

  • The flesh of his face was pitted and loose, his scalp very broad and shiny.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Most of the rock here is creased limestone pitted with iron ore.

    Grim (1996)

  • Back outside, we pass more buildings pitted by war and destruction.

    Academic text (2006)

  • It's all pitted from sand, just like the bullet they took out of Munro.

    China Moon (1994)

  • The man is standing before a pitted, tarnished cataract of a mirror.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • I lived in a no-man's-land between them, and the ground was pitted, scarred with ruts, useless.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • His forehead was shiny and pitted, with scars running up into his hairline.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Lewis pondered the issue for a moment, rubbing his pitted cheek with one crooked finger.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • I groped and stumbled along the pitted, cracked sidewalk, fearful of breaking an ankle or leg.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Her skin became pitted from years of severe acne, leaving small scars behind.

Synonyms

to mark
vsto pit
50 3.0

Leave a permanent scar on skin or a surface

is focused on small indentations rather than any lasting trace
to scar
vsto pit
15 3.4

Leave a permanent mark on the skin or a surface after an injury

is about small hollows rather than general permanent traces
to pockmark
vsto pit
7 7.9

To mark something with small scar-like pits caused by disease or damage

is broader, covering small hollows from injury, wear, or disease
to pock
vsto pit
  • Archaic
4 9.6

To make small pits or scars on skin and other surfaces

also covers hollows on any surface caused by damage or wear

Antonyms

to heal
481 1.2

To become healthy again after an injury, illness, or emotional pain

smooth
256 1.0

A surface that is even and not rough

Idioms

hit in the pit of someone's stomach
9.5

Cause a sudden sick feeling of fear or shock in the stomach

Phrasal Verbs

to pit against each other
10 6.1

Make people or groups compete against each other

to make a pit stop
9 3.8

To stop briefly on a journey to use the toilet or get food

Compounds

pit bull
40 3.9

A strong, muscular dog often kept as a pet and known for loyalty

pit stop
21 3.9

A quick stop during a race to refuel or change tires

pit stop
14 3.6

A short stop on a trip to rest, stretch, or get fuel

money pit
  • Informal
6 7.3

A thing like a house or boat that always needs a lot of money for repairs

gravel pit
4 3.6

A hole in the ground where people dig gravel for building

fire pit
4 2.9

An outdoor place that holds a fire for warmth or cooking

tar pit
4 7.6

A place with thick sticky black oil that traps animals and preserves their bones

bottomless pit
  • Informal
3 6.3

A situation that always needs more money or help

orchestra pit
3 4.7

A lowered space in front of a stage where musicians sit and play for a show

barbecue pit
  • US
3 2.4

A place in the ground where people burn wood or charcoal to cook meat

pit viper
  • Specialized
3 8.0

A snake with a heat pit near each eye that injects poison when it bites

snake pit
  • Informal
3 7.3

An unpleasant, chaotic place where people act badly toward each other

pit of despair
  • Informal
2 9.0

A very deep feeling of sadness with no hope

peach pit
1 3.1

A hard stone in the middle of a peach that contains the seed

American pit bull terrier
1 3.6

A strong, muscular dog breed from the United States with a short coat and high energy

flea pit
  • Archaic
1 8.6

A small dirty cinema or theater in very bad condition

borrow pit
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A hole that people dig to take soil or gravel for building work

pit bull terrier
1 3.2

A strong dog with short fur that is often loyal and brave

pit of the stomach
1 7.0

A slight hollow just below the chest bone where you feel anxiety or pain

pit-house
  • Specialized
1 8.6

A shelter dug partly into the ground with a roof to live in or keep animals

plutonium pit
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A metal sphere with plutonium that starts a nuclear explosion when squeezed by explosives

chalk pit
  • UK
6.8

A large hole in the ground where people dig out chalk

fire pit
6.0

A deep hole at a volcano with hot, glowing lava at the bottom

pit lizard
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who often goes to bars and clubs at night

pit nutter
  • Offensive
9.9

A fan of car racing who pays too much attention to small race details

pit run
  • Specialized
7.9

Gravel taken directly from a pit or quarry with mixed stone sizes

pit-run gravel
  • Specialized
7.4

A loose mix of small stones and sand taken from a gravel pit and used as is

pit-yacker
  • Archaic
9.9

A person who tells stories and gossip about miners, often in a funny way

slime pit
4.9

A pit filled with thick sticky slime used for messy games

stone pit
4.9

A large open hole in the ground where people take stone for building

How Damaged

to erode
24 4.2
to pockmark
7 7.9
to pit
  • Specialized
8 7.3
to scratch
161 1.1

Surface Forms

pit infinitive
pitted past
pitted past participle
pitting present participle
pits third person singular

Etymology

To pit something can mean to mark it with many small dents or holes; this sense comes from the idea of making little 'pits' in a surface.