pits

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of pit.

   Excavators uncovered two storage pits dating back centuries.

   She spat the cherry pits into a small bowl on the table.

   Note

   A regular plural that often travels with the article: in John works in the pits, the phrase can mean a mine or the refueling area of a racetrack, and only context tells them apart. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense verb (she pits cherries). An article or a following object usually shows which word you are reading.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of pit.

   The coach pits two of his best players against each other in training.

   Salt air gradually pits the metal railings along the pier.

   Note

   The he-she-it form, and its company decides what it means. With an object it marks or opposes: salt air pits metal, and a coach pits two players against each other, where the opposing sense is usually followed by against. Standing alone, it is the racing verb: a driver pits for fuel or new tires. A cook who pits cherries is taking out their stones.

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