definitions

pit against

Set in direct opposition or competition, as in The civil war pitted brother against brother. This idiom alludes to setting fighting cocks or dogs against one another in a pit. [Mid-1700s]

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RELATED WORDS

contend, play, wrestle, clash, contest, challenge, vie, face, try, spar, battle, fight, handle, confront, grapple, endure, survive, suffer, differ, vary

Nearby words

piston, walter, pistou, pisé, pisé de terre, pit, pit against, pit boss, pit bull terrier, pit dwelling, pit grave, pit of stomach
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.