Synonyms

pits

British

/ pɪts /

plural noun

slang the worst possible person, place, or thing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pits

C20: perhaps shortened from armpits

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.

People near Cave's Inn Pits near the village of Shawell, south of Lutterworth, had reported odours coming from the site, described as "well-concealed" and is a site of special scientific interest.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

While the Page Museum is under construction, the grant-funded La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museums will continue visiting schools and other public places throughout L.A.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

The La Brea Tar Pits & Museum is finally getting a star attraction: Zed, a roughly 40,000-year-old Columbian mammoth.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

Dove, the brand owned by Unilever, launched a marketing campaign in 2023 urging customers to post photographs of their sweaty armpits under the hashtag "Free the Pits".

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

Pits appeared at their feet, and Annabeth barely avoided falling in.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023