pit stop
Americannoun
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Auto Racing. a stop in the pits during a race, in which a competing car receives gasoline, a change of tires, or other servicing or repair.
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Informal. any brief stop, as during a ride or trip in an automobile, so that one may get refreshments, use a restroom, etc.
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a place where one makes such stops.
noun
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motor racing a brief stop made at a pit by a racing car for repairs, refuelling, etc
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informal any stop made during a car journey for refreshment, rest, or refuelling
Etymology
Origin of pit stop
First recorded in 1930–35
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During Pinky’s broken-wing pit stop, my 10-year-old daughter Margaret Green and friends Ezra Cunningham and Meta Nalepa encountered the bird in a nearby driveway while delivering their neighborhood newspaper.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
This year, Russell has suffered some bad luck at various times - including with a pit stop that went wrong and led to a penalty in Monaco last weekend.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
We made a quick pit stop at a bakery in the village of Valencia de las Torres and then continued on, as a dense fog formed around us.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026
It’s a quick pit stop before coming home after work.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
In my interview, I had been promised a thirty-minute lunch break, but this turns out to be a five-minute pit stop at a convenience store, if that.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
