pit stop

noun

1

: a stop at the pits during an automobile race

2

a(1)

: a stop (as during a trip) for fuel, food, or rest or for use of a restroom

(2)

: a temporary deviation from a direct or usual course

a career pit stop … where he worked temporarily in between TV jobs

—Mark Lorando

b(1)

: a place where a pit stop is or can be made

(2)

: an establishment providing food or drink

Examples of pit stop in a Sentence

We made a pit stop for some food before getting back on the highway.

This little town is an ideal pit stop between the two cities.

Recent Examples on the Web

He’s done pit stop practice, but Dover is a tight pit road. —Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 24 July 2025

More often, the dimly lit highway hubs serve as nothing more than brief, refueling pit stops on a grander journey to cleaner, more scenic destinations. —Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 11 July 2025

All top three drivers pitted shortly afterward but Norris endured a slow pit stop, conceding second place back to Verstappen. —Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 6 July 2025

And with a quick pit stop in Madrid, Spain, enroute to Davos, Beshear got to meet with North American Stainless, a key company on the supply chain for GE Appliances. —Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pit stop

• atop
• backdrop
• backstop
• bebop
• blacktop
• bookshop
• clatsop
• desktop
• eavesdrop
• estop
• hardtop
• hilltop

Kids Definition

pit stop

noun

1

: a stop at the pits during an automobile race

2

a

: a stop (as during a trip) for fuel, food, or rest or for use of a restroom

b

: a place where a pit stop is or can be made