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to pit against each other

to pit against each other

10 6.1
Make people or groups compete against each other
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : poner unos contra otros
  • The coach decided to pit the two best players against each other in the final match.
  • groups are pitted against each other

He, he, he pitted US against each other.

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Examples

  • Teams are pitted against each other to capture, fortify, and resupply bases to win.

    Blog text (18)
  • Use A/B testing to pit two alternatives against each other to choose the best.

    Blog text (28)
  • Instead, give your characters something to do that pits them against each other or gets in their way.

    Blog text (21)
  • What if the school saw how they pitted two teachers against each other?

  • Politicians not only pit lower economic classes against each other, but racial groups as well.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Often teams of gladiators were pitted against each other.

  • But it's a false choice that pits the two against each other.

    Blog text (34)
  • The civil war pitted Islamist groups against the government and each other.

    Blog text (4)
  • In most cases, the parties that are pitted against each other had formerly been engaged in a contractual relationship.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The Cold War divided the region further by pitting countries against each other in a global chess game between the superpowers.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

to pit
vsto pit against each other
74 5.3

To put one person or group against another

causes competition or conflict rather than arranging opposition directly
to play one against another
vsto pit against each other
7.6

Make two people or groups compete to get an advantage for yourself

causes competition without seeking personal advantage
to create friction
vsto pit against each other
4.6

To cause disagreement between people or groups

causes active competition or conflict rather than mild tension

Antonyms

543 3.3

To work together with other people to reach the same goal

45 3.6

To join with a person, group, or country for a common purpose

How Opposed

to incite
  • NSFW
72 7.7
to pit against each other
10 6.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

pit + against + each + other

The verb 'pit' (to set one party against another) combined with 'against each other' directly expresses causing mutual opposition or competition. This verb + prepositional phrase composition follows a clear, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can reliably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Pit against each other may come from old fighting pits where animals were put in a pit so they were against each other and forced to fight. That vivid image explains why the phrase now means 'to cause people or groups to compete or fight'.