pit bull

American  

[pit bool] / ˈpɪt ˌbʊl /

Informal, pittie or pitbull

noun

• pit bulls
  plural

1. a stocky, muscular dog with a broad skull and a smooth coat, belonging to an informal category of purebred and mixed-breed dogs that includes the American Staffordshire terrier, the Staffordshire bull terrier, and sometimes the American bulldog or boxer.

2. Also called American pit bull terrier.  American Staffordshire terrier.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pit bulls
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pit bull

First recorded in 1925–30; pit ¹ ( def. ) (in the sense “enclosure for staging animal fights”) + bull(dog) ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pit bull

David Sambur of Apollo was, the authors write, “a pit bull constantly in attack mode,” while Bruce Bennett, the hedge funds’ lawyer, “always had to have the last word.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

When I lived in downtown Phoenix, my pit bull Ziggy once escaped through the fence and disappeared, causing my wife to burst into tears.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026

His dog, Jesus, a striking black-and-white pit bull, followed him everywhere, tail wagging like a punctuation mark.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025

I love being wherever Maybelle, my gentle, white pit bull, is resting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

Nancy thought, An angry monkey is like a flying pit bull terrier with five prehensile limbs—these critters can do a job on you.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston