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

Karen Piazza, a 45-year old teacher in Brooklyn, paid $8,100 for the procedure, which left her with a small scar under each armpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

Instead, she found a lump in her armpit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 2026

After their vet in the UK found a non-cancerous tumour under Vinny's armpit, they were quoted £1,600 to remove it.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

Eve Ross, who is a nursery worker in Kent, went to her doctor after she discovered a small lump in her armpit in January 2024.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025

I step over him, and then reach down, getting a good grip under his armpit.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

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

FARGO, N.D.—Oak Reile was delivering a pallet of washer fluid, cigarettes and candy to a local convenience store in 2020 when he slipped and fell, breaking two vertebrae and paralyzing him from the armpits down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

A cool sponge or piece of clothing soaked in water and placed under the armpits or on the neck can help to cool someone.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

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

He skulks out, hands tucked under his armpits.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

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