open-pit

American  

[oh-puhn-pit] / ˈoʊ pənˌpɪt /

adjective

Mining.

1. noting or pertaining to a type of surface mining in which massive, usually metallic mineral deposits are removed by cutting benches in the walls of a broad, deep funnel-shaped excavation.

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Etymology

Origin of open-pit

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

open-pit

Turnaround plans at its Brazilian open-pit gold mine, Mara Rosa, are progressing in line with expectations, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

In 2023, a collapse at an open-pit coal mine in the northern Inner Mongolia region killed 53 people.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

It expects Oyu Tolgoi, established as an open-pit operation in 2011, to become the world’s fourth-largest copper mine by 2030.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

It plans to use underground extraction and crushing -- as opposed to an open-pit mine -- and re-inject a large part of the mining residue.

From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025

Three men, two girls and about twenty robots got an open-pit iron mine started; as soon as the steel mill was ready, ore started coming in.

From The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper