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.

Sunday's run-off in Arcis-sur-Aube pits Hittler against Renault-Zielinski and a third candidate, Annie Soucat.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Wrinkle structures are tiny ridges and pits ranging from millimeters to centimeters across.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

All mining in the southern Venezuelan state of Amazonas remains illegal, though that has done little to stop miners from digging pits in search of gold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

Episode 5, a chapter of the saga that pits Sherlock against his father and reckons with their history, felt like a real moment of collaboration.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026

Yellow smoke curled above the dragon’s long head, from the nostrils that were two round pits of fire.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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