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

This is the perfect pit stop on a road trip through the Highlands. — Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 27 Oct. 2026

Mechanics clad in black waited patiently for the team’s first pit stops. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 26 Oct. 2026

Christopher Bell, who entered just five points behind Larson, crashed after spinning while entering the pits under green for his first pit stop on Lap 56. — ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026

So the entire operation makes a pit stop at Windsor Castle at the invitation of the (absent) King of England, until the perimeter around Air Force One can be cleared. — Adam B. Vary, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 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