armpit

American  

[ahrm-pit] / ˈɑrmˌpɪt /

noun

• armpits
  plural

1. the hollow under the arm at the shoulder; axilla.

2. Slang. the worst possible place or area.

   Their car has broken down, stranding them in the armpit of California until it can be fixed.

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armpit British  

/ ˈɑːmˌpɪt /

noun

1. Technical name: axilla. the small depression beneath the arm where it joins the shoulder

2. slang an extremely unpleasant place

   the armpit of the Mediterranean

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• armpits
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of armpit

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English; arm ¹ + pit ¹ ( def. )

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Explanation

Your armpit is the area underneath your upper arm, where it connects to your shoulder. Armpits tend to be smelly, so we would advise to steer clear of an open armpit on a bus or subway. Another common word for armpit is "underarm," while the official anatomical term is axilla. Perhaps because your armpits tend to get sweaty and a little smelly after you exercise, the word armpit is sometimes used as a derogatory term for an unattractive place: "That city is so ugly it's the armpit of New Jersey." Before armpit, the axilla was known as an arm-hole.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

armpit armpits

More surgical options have emerged too, such as smaller incisions in the chest, or a robotic surgery that involves a smaller incision on a person’s side near the armpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

“He lived in Bakersfield, which is the armpit of California,” Hankel says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

In June, the woman first felt what she described as like a "pull" under her armpit.

From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2025

When Gustave Flaubert saw Antonio Canova’s sculpture “Eros and Psyche” in 1845, he surreptitiously kissed Psyche’s marble armpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

Perspiration collected in the small of his back and ran out of his armpit down his side.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

"They'll coax excess lymph fluid from your swollen tissues toward your lymph nodes, where the lymph can reabsorb," he says - adding lymph nodes are found in the armpits, neck and groin.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

You’re either stuck to a vinyl-clad seat or grabbing up for a handrail and trying to direct your face away from the armpits to your left and right.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

Following her lead, I tuck my arms over my chest, hands in armpits, and we move briskly into the water together.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

And what most people remember about their performance is that Paula Cole didn’t shave her armpits, resulting in months of fodder for late-night comedians.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025

“Yeah,” I said, fanning my sweaty armpits and waiting for the ground to swallow me up.

From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez

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