open-pit
adjective
US
: involving the removal of the surface of a large area of land to get at a mineral or other material that is near to the surface
an open-pit mine
Examples of open-pit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As part of the renewal process, Reuters reported, Barrick identified gold reserves that would support six years of open-pit mining and 16 years of underground mining.
—
Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
In the distance, the expansive open-pit mine came into view, an immense landscape lined with massive tractors hauling gold-rich ore to the processing plant.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2026
Spanning over 60,000 acres, the Morenci copper mine in eastern Arizona — one of the largest-open-pit mines in the world — produces hundreds of millions of tons of copper ore each year.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Instead of relying on environmentally damaging methods like open-pit mining or evaporation ponds, the firm is now deploying a process known as direct lithium extraction (DLE) from underground brine.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
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Preeti Jha, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
In the distance, the expansive open-pit mine came into view, an immense landscape lined with massive tractors hauling gold-rich ore to the processing plant.
—Jill Newman, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2026
Spanning over 60,000 acres, the Morenci copper mine in eastern Arizona — one of the largest-open-pit mines in the world — produces hundreds of millions of tons of copper ore each year.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 14 Nov. 2025
Instead of relying on environmentally damaging methods like open-pit mining or evaporation ponds, the firm is now deploying a process known as direct lithium extraction (DLE) from underground brine.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for open-pit
Cite this Entry
“Open-pit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/open-pit. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.
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