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pitching

pitching

2 6.1
A sudden up-and-down movement of a ship or plane
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪtʃɪŋ/
translation icon : cabeceo
  • The bus rocked right and left in the ruts with a pitching motion that tickled everyone.
  • pitching deck
  • pitching ship
  • pitching sea

Examples

  • The passengers struggled to maintain their balance on the pitching deck of the ship during the storm.

  • Rodriguez almost thought he could feel the floor shuddering and pitching.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • While the boat is pitching and stuff, right?

  • This looks quick, one minute sitting on the log, the next pitching over.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • The pitching proved beyond her control, but it was stabilizing slowly.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • And then you're done for, 'cause all you feel is the pitching and tossing.

  • I grip onto one of Mrs. Tucker's cherry red chairs as if it is the rail of a pitching ship.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • As the car drove down the bumpy road, the pitching motion made it difficult for anyone to read.

  • In rough seas, the pitching of the boat caused many crew members to feel seasick.

Synonyms

pitch
vspitching
  • Specialized
11 7.6

A sudden up-and-down movement of a ship or plane

is the same motion but refers to it as an ongoing action
sway
vspitching
8 3.5

A movement from side to side, like a bridge or ship

focuses on up and down motion rather than side to side
lurch
vspitching
7 4.7

A sudden unsteady movement, often forward or to one side

is an up and down motion rather than a forward or sideways one
heave
vspitching
1 4.6

A regular rising and falling movement like waves

is more abrupt and sudden rather than rhythmic or gentle
porpoising
vspitching
  • Specialized
8.4

A fast racing car's quick up-and-down movement that makes control hard

is similar but usually not limited to very high speeds

Compounds

7 4.2

Person who trains a baseball team's pitchers and helps them improve

1 5.9

An act of replacing the player who throws the ball with another during a baseball game

1 4.6

A golf club that makes the ball go high for short shots onto the green

4.0

Person who helps people make and deliver business presentations clearly

How Rough

to toss
94 1.4
to lurch
34 5.6
pitching
2 6.1
heaving
1 5.0
to bob around
  • US
1 3.9

Surface Forms

pitching singular
pitchings plural

Morphology

pitching = pitch (semi-transparent) = pitch + ing

Formally a nominalization of the verb 'pitch', but the maritime/specialized sense of motion may not be known to learners who only know 'pitch' as 'throw'.

Etymology

Pitching for a ship's sudden up-and-down motion comes from the same idea of pitch as a quick forward 'throw' of the ship's front, making it dip and rise. So when a boat or plane is pitching, it is moving quickly up and down and people can feel sick.