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

Uncle Fluffy, the dessert pit stop known for its cloudlike, Japanese-style cheesecakes, has — at last — opened its second Orange County location at Triangle Square in Costa Mesa. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 26 May 2026

Plus, with over 2,000 municipalities, Switzerland offers a seemingly endless number of day trips and pit stops. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2026

Suarez wisely gambled on there being another downpour, taking only two tires when the rest of the leaders took four on a late pit stop with about 50 laps to go. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 25 May 2026

McLaughlin moved into the fight for the lead when the race went back to green, going three-wide at one stage with Palou and Daly, but Malukas managed to claw his way back to the front before the penultimate round of pit stops. —Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 24 May 2026

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