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

The lively patio at nearby Baja Cantina makes a nice pit stop for weekday happy-hour deals from 3 to 6 p.m., including $10 margaritas and $4.50 birria tacos. —Laura Randall, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2024

Its wetlands serve as a pit stop for 180 species of migratory birds, including America’s national bird, on their springtime journey towards the ice fields and glaciers at the road’s northernmost reaches. —Teddy Brokaw, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 May 2024

Evins wanted to create an informal, welcoming place where people could gather for a meal or make a pit stop. —Carolanne Griffith Roberts, Southern Living, 22 May 2024

Investigators say the driver was a 46-year-old man from Lake Worth, and the fight involved two co-workers who were desperate for a pit stop. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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