pitting

noun

pit·​ting ˈpi-tiŋ 

1

: an arrangement of pits

2

: the action or process of forming pits

3

: the bringing of gamecocks together to fight

Examples of pitting in a Sentence

The car's paint showed some pitting from flying gravel.

Her face had some minor pitting from the chicken pox.

Recent Examples on the Web

The condition affects about 7 million people in the U.S. Symptoms include hair loss, nail pitting, itching and change in hair color. —Raven Brunner, People.com, 7 July 2025

Nail symptoms: PsA can severely impact finger and toenails, causing pitting (tiny dents on your nails), crumbling, and splitting from the nail bed. —Mark Gurarie, Health, 27 June 2025

Most often, nail pitting is mild and might not even be noticed. —Ruth Jessen Hickman, Health, 16 May 2025

Through all this, there is this constant pitting of Zack Snyder against James Gunn like they’re supposed to be Mozart and Salieri (in this metaphor Snyder would be Mozart, of course). —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for pitting

• fitting
• flitting
• gritting
• hitting
• knitting
• quitting
• sitting
• slitting
• spitting
• splitting
• acquitting
• admitting

Kids Definition

pitting

present participle of pit

Medical Definition

pitting

noun

1

: the action or process of forming pits (as in acned skin, a tooth, or a dental restoration)

2

: the formation of a depression or indentation in living tissue that is produced by pressure with a finger or blunt instrument and disappears only slowly following release of the pressure in some forms of edema