Showing results for "tar pit"

• a variation of tarpit.

tar pit

American  

[tahr pit] / ˈtɑr ˌpɪt /

noun

• tar pits
  plural

1. an accumulation of natural tar or asphalt that has seeped upward to the earth's surface, especially one that has acted as a natural trap into which animals have fallen, sunk, and had their bones preserved.

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tar pit Scientific  

1. An accumulation of natural tar or asphalt at the Earth's surface, especially one that traps animals and preserves their hard parts. Tar pits form when petroleum in subterranean petroleum-bearing rocks oozes up to the surface. As it rises, the petroleum loses its volatile components, forming a thick tar or asphalt deposit.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tar pits
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tar pit

Economic growth is the only way out of the tar pit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 27, 2025

But the asphalt of a tar pit is rich in very old carbon, which is largely devoid of carbon-14.

From Science Magazine ● Aug. 16, 2023

Donald sailed by guard Quinton Spain, who looked as if he were stuck in a tar pit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2022

But thanks to the federal and local governments, an administrative tar pit made it extremely difficult for the private investors to build their energy plants.

From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2021

A mixture of sand and fine brown adobe clays and gray caliche, it had the texture, viscosity, and crippling powers of a tar pit.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols