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

More green flag pit stops would minimize these fuel saving strategies that hurt the racing. —Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 22 Feb. 2025

And, of course, that would only be a pit stop on the way to the song earning five-time platinum certification. —Matthew Leimkuehler, Forbes, 31 Dec. 2024

Wyoming migration researcher Hall Sawyer once described stopovers as pit stops on a long interstate road trip. —Christine Peterson, Vox, 23 Dec. 2024

The One Party by Uber The One Party by Uber makes its way from Las Vegas to New Orleans for its next Super Bowl pit stop on Feb. 7. —Skyler Caruso, People.com, 23 Jan. 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