tar pit
noun
: an area in which natural bitumens collect and are exposed at the earth's surface and which tends to trap animals and preserve their hard parts (such as bones or teeth)
Examples of tar pit in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Colossal Biosciences The Colossal website explains that many dire wolf fossils were preserved in the La Brea tar pits, in the Los Angeles area, but the species' DNA was not preserved in the tar.
—
Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025
Many dire wolf remains have been found in the La Brea tar pits, for example, but the tar pit damages the DNA, said Beth Shapiro, Colossal's chief science officer.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
What makes these tar pits extraordinary is not just the sheer number of fossils—over 3.5 million recovered so far—but the near-perfect preservation of these ancient animals.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Today, listening to coaches with multi-million-dollar contracts pontificate about the virtues of the bygone era of amateur athletics reminds you of dinosaurs with one foot stuck in the tar pits.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tar pit
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025
Many dire wolf remains have been found in the La Brea tar pits, for example, but the tar pit damages the DNA, said Beth Shapiro, Colossal's chief science officer.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 7 Apr. 2025
What makes these tar pits extraordinary is not just the sheer number of fossils—over 3.5 million recovered so far—but the near-perfect preservation of these ancient animals.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Today, listening to coaches with multi-million-dollar contracts pontificate about the virtues of the bygone era of amateur athletics reminds you of dinosaurs with one foot stuck in the tar pits.
—Chris Dorsey, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tar pit
Cite this Entry
“Tar pit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tar%20pit. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share