armpit

noun

arm·​pit ˈärm-ˌpit 

1

: the hollow beneath the junction of the arm and shoulder

2

: the least desirable place : pit

77th Street Station … was the armpit of detective duty

Joseph Wambaugh

Example Sentences

a city described as the armpit of America

Recent Examples on the Web

The cancer had also metastasized to a lymph node in her armpit and her sternum. Stephanie Emma Pfeffer, Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2022

Her treatment in the second trimester would be a mastectomy with removal of all of the lymph nodes in her left armpit, which would have raised her risk of lymphedema, an incurable fluid buildup in her arm. Gina Kolata, BostonGlobe.com, 23 July 2022

Her treatment in the second trimester would be a mastectomy with removal of all of the lymph nodes in her left armpit, which would have raised her risk of lymphedema, an incurable fluid buildup in her arm. New York Times, 23 July 2022

Another online rumor suggested there’d been an armpit chlamydia outbreak in 2017. Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2022

With no one leaving their houses for months, who cared if your armpit strands were braidable? Ana Escalante, Glamour, 17 Oct. 2022

Could Wi-Fi signals penetrate a device wrapped in folds of flesh—say, in an armpit or an anal cavity? Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Oct. 2022

Neck, armpit, lateral trunk, plantar foot, crown of the head—each spot got five quick tickles. Max G. Levy, WIRED, 6 Oct. 2022

One is a molecule naturally present deep in the human armpit, a powerful and unpleasant component of body odor (which deodorant companies are eager to mask). Abigail Tucker, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Sep. 2022

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Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

armpit

noun

arm·​pit ˈärm-ˌpit 

: the hollow beneath the spot where the arm and shoulder join

Medical Definition

armpit

noun

arm·​pit ˈärm-ˌpit 

: the hollow beneath the junction of the arm and shoulder : axilla