
pick | pick: v. 1 Often, pick out. select, choose, cull, sort out, hand-pick, single out, opt for, fix or decide upon or on, elect, settle upon or on, screen (out), sift (out): Melanie was picked to succeed Hubert as president. 2 pluck, gather, collect, harvest, bring or take in, garner: Scores of extra workers were brought in to pick apples. 3 provoke, foment, incite, start, initiate, work or stir up: He tried to pick an argument with me about who is taller. 4 pick at. a criticize, carp at, find fault with, cavil (at or about), quibble (at or about), pick on, nag (at), niggle (at), harass, pester, annoy, irritate, bother: Stop picking at your brother! b nibble (at), peck at: We can''t get him to eat a thing, he just picks at his food. 5 pick off. shoot (down), kill: We picked them off one by one as they emerged from the trench. 6 pick on. bully, ride, intimidate, abuse, browbeat, badger, harry, hector, harass, tease, taunt, needle, torment: Robert must learn not to pick on the smaller boys. 7 pick out. a See 1, above. b discern, distinguish, tell apart, make out, recognize, separate, discriminate: I was able to pick out a distant rider, approaching swiftly. From amongst the forest sounds she picked out the song of the nightingale. 8 pick up. a raise (up), lift (up), heft, hoist, take up: The stone is too heavy to pick up. Please pick up that piece of paper. b gather, collect, glean, take up: I wish you would pick up your clothes. c tidy (up), neaten, straighten up or out, clean (up): She refuses to continue to pick up after him. d acquire, learn, become acquainted with; master; Colloq get the hang of: We picked up a little Spanish on our holiday. e acquire, find, come by, get hold of, obtain; buy, purchase, get: Basil picked up a few bad habits in the army. Let''s pick up a bottle of wine on the way. f improve, get better, gain, make headway, recover, perk up, rally, recoup, (make) progress, move ahead, increase, Colloq make a comeback: Business usually picks up before Christmas. g accelerate, speed up: The pace picked up as they approached the finish line. h arrest, apprehend, take into custody, Colloq pinch, collar, nab, bust, run in, pull in, Brit nick: Two men were picked up trying to break into the bank. i call for, give a lift or ride to, collect, go for or US also after, go to get: I''ll pick you up at the railway station at noon. j meet, introduce oneself to, strike up an acquaintance with, accost, make advances to: I think she picked him up in a wine bar. k catch, come down with, contract, get: He picked up a mystery virus in the Tropics. --n. 9 selection, choice, option, preference: She could have had the pick of any man in the place. Take your pick. 10 choicest, best, cr�me de la cr�me, cream: The early shoppers had already taken the pick of the crop.
picket | picket: n. 1 stake, pale, post, peg, stanchion, upright, vertical, palisade, paling: The walls of the fort were of strong pickets tapered to a point at the top. 2 demonstrator, protester, striker: The police prevented the pickets from attacking workers who entered the factory. 3 picquet, sentinel, watchman, guard, observer, patrol, vedette or vidette or vedette boat: The picket reported no unusual activity. --v. 4 enclose, shut in, wall in, fence (in), hem in, box in: We picketed the camp for the night. 5 protest, demonstrate, blockade: Strikers picketed the factory 24 hours a day.
picnic | picnic: n. 1 garden party, f�te champ�tre, meal alfresco, barbecue, US clam-bake, US and Canadian cookout: The clouds had gone, and it was a great day for a picnic. 2 child''s play, Colloq pushover, snap, cinch, piece of cake, walk-over, US and Canadian breeze, lead-pipe cinch: Sailing home with a quartering wind - it was a picnic all the way. 3 no picnic. difficult, arduous, torture, torturous, agony, agonizing, painful, disagreeable, discomfiting, misfortune, Colloq tough, tough luck, tough going, rough, a pain in the neck, US tough sledding, Taboo slang pain in the Brit arse or US ass: Being marooned on a desert island for a month was no picnic, I assure you.
pictorial | pictorial: adj. 1 graphic, picturesque, vivid, telling, striking, expressive, plain, explicit, clear, lucid: Many of the poet''s images are amazingly pictorial. 2 illustrated: They published a pictorial history of biblical lands just for children.
picture | picture: n. 1 drawing, painting, representation, portrait, depiction, artwork, illustration, sketch, photograph: Here is a picture of our cottage in the Cotswolds. 2 image, (perfect or exact) likeness, (carbon) copy, double, duplicate, twin, (exact) replica, look-alike, facsimile, Colloq spitting image or spit and image, Slang (dead) ringer: Isn''t she just the picture of her mother? 3 impression, idea, notion, understanding, image: I think I have a pretty good picture of the situation. 4 model, prototype, epitome, essence, embodiment, incarnation, personification, perfect example: From her autobiography, you might believe her to be the picture of sweet innocence. 5 put (someone) in or into the picture. inform or advise fully, Colloq fill (someone) in: Put me into the picture about what went on here last night. --v. 6 envision, envisage, visualize, imagine, fancy, conceive of, see in the mind''s eye: Picture yourself lying on a beach in the Bahamas. 7 depict, draw, portray, paint, represent, show, illustrate, display: In this fresco, Salome is pictured dancing before Herod Antipas.
picturesque | picturesque: adj. 1 colourful, interesting, intriguing, unusual, unique, original, charming, idyllic, fetching, attractive, pretty, lovely, quaint, delightful, pleasing, scenic: We came upon a picturesque village in which all the houses were half-timbered Tudor style with thatched roofs. 2 colourful, graphic, realistic, vivid, striking: Bernard has written a picturesque account of a walking trip through Bavaria.
piece | piece: n. 1 bit, morsel, scrap, chunk, hunk, sliver, lump, portion, particle, fragment, shred, shard or sherd, remnant, quantity: All the beggar wanted was a piece of bread. A piece of shrapnel is still embedded in my arm. 2 wedge, slice, serving, helping, portion: You may not have a piece of pie till you''ve eaten your vegetables. 3 share, portion, fraction, part, division, segment, section, interest, holding, percentage, proportion: It turned out that a piece of the company had been sold without shareholders'' approval. 4 (short) story, article, essay, report, theme, draft; poem; music, opus, (musical) number, composition, arrangement, tune, melody, song, air, jingle, ditty; production, play, drama, sketch, show: I read that piece about cholesterol in yesterday''s paper. He wrote a piece for the flute. Which piece by Strindberg will you put on next? 5 man, token, chessman, chess-piece, chequer, Brit draughtsman: Once you have touched a piece you must move it. 6 go to pieces. fall apart, disintegrate, crumble, shatter; be shattered, be upset, be disturbed, have a nervous breakdown, go out of or lose control, break down, Colloq crack up: Another earthquake and this wall will go to pieces. At the news of his son''s death, Joe simply went to pieces. 7 in pieces. smashed, destroyed, ruined, shattered, broken, in smithereens, smashed: The vase lay in pieces at my feet. Though I had won the case, my life was in pieces. 8 of a piece (with). similar, similarly constituted, alike, of the same sort or kind or type, uniform, the same, part and parcel (of the same thing), identical; in harmony, in agreement, harmonious, in keeping: This book is of a piece with the others in the same series. All his paintings are of a piece. 9 piece of cake. Colloq snap, cinch, US and Canadian lead-pipe cinch, breeze: The French exam was a piece of cake. 10 piece of (one''s) mind. Colloq scolding, rebuke, lecture, reprimand, tongue-lashing, chiding, rap over or on the knuckles, Colloq hell, what for, dressing-down, US bawling-out, chewing-out: She gave him a piece of her mind about the amount of time he spent in the pub. 11 piece of the action. share, portion, interest, stake, percentage, holding, quota: For �1000 you can have a piece of the action. 12 speak (one''s) piece. have (one''s) say, express (one''s) opinion, say what is on (one''s) mind; vent (one''s) spleen, Colloq get a load off (one''s) mind or chest: All were given a chance to speak their piece. --v. 13 piece together. assemble, put together, connect, gather, compose; fix, unite, restore, mend: We pieced together what happened from the witnesses'' accounts. You''ll never be able to piece together the bits of that lamp.
pi�ce de r�sistance | pi�ce de r�sistance: n. highlight, (special or main) feature or attraction, sp�cialit� (de la maison), masterpiece, chef-d''oeuvre, Brit speciality, US specialty: The pi�ce de r�sistance of the meal was a magnificent gateau.
piecemeal | piecemeal: adv. 1 piece by piece, little by little, inch by inch, bit by bit, inchmeal, gradually, by degrees, slowly, in bits and pieces, by fits and starts, fitfully, intermittently, sporadically, disjointedly: The ministry insisted that the plans should remain as one package and not be introduced piecemeal over the next two years. 2 into fragments or shreds or pieces: He angrily took the cheque and tore it up piecemeal. --adj. 3 fragmentary, bit by bit, inchmeal, gradual, disjointed, sporadic: The South-east could become one huge traffic jam unless the Government drops its piecemeal approach to planning.
pier | pier: n. 1 wharf, landing (stage or place), jetty, quay, floating dock, Technically inaccurate dock: The ship is tied up at the pier. 2 pile, piling, post, upright, column, support, buttress: Owing to lack of maintenance, the piers supporting the building have crumbled.
pierce | pierce: v. 1 stab, puncture, penetrate, thrust or poke into, lance, spear, spit, run through or into, skewer, impale, fix, transfix: The arrow pierced his heart and he dropped down dead. 2 bore into or through, penetrate, drill, perforate, riddle, punch through, hole, tunnel into: The wall is pierced to provide ventilation. 3 penetrate, fathom, see, understand, comprehend,, grasp, discover, realize: His keen analytical mind allowed him to pierce the mysteries of nature. 4 affect (keenly), touch, move, melt, stir, rouse, pain, cut to the quick, wound, strike: It pierced my heart to hear the child weep.
piercing | piercing: adj. 1 strident, shrill, harsh, ear-splitting, ear-shattering, high-pitched, screaming, shrieking, screeching, loud, blaring: The piercing sound of the police siren made me sit bolt-upright in bed. 2 probing, searching, penetrating, sharp, keen; arresting, gripping, spellbinding, enthralling, fascinating, entrancing: I was completely transfixed by her piercing green eyes. 3 penetrating, icy, frosty, frigid, chilling, freezing, cold, numbing, keen, wintry, arctic, raw, bitter, fierce, biting, nipping, nippy: Shivering in that piercing wind I thought I''d never be warm again. 4 stabbing, shooting, excruciating, exquisite, acute, sharp, severe, agonizing, fierce, intense, painful, racking: I suddenly felt a piercing pain in my left ear.
piety | piety: n. 1 devotion, devotedness, respect, deference, dedication, dutifulness, loyalty, affection: In filial piety he hung the painting of his parents prominently over the mantelpiece. 2 piousness, reverence, veneration, devoutness, holiness, godliness, pietism, devotedness, devotion, observance, religiousness, grace, sanctity: His life of piety had marked him out as a likely candidate for sainthood.
pile� | pile�: n. 1 heap, mound, stack, accumulation, stockpile, mass, supply, deposit, collection, assemblage, batch, hoard, aggregation, congeries, conglomeration, assortment, agglomeration, concentration, amassment: A huge pile of gravel was delivered today for the builders. 2 money, fortune, wealth, holdings, Colloq bundle, loot, mint, Slang packet, tidy sum, US bankroll, roll, wad: She made her pile selling arms to terrorists. 3 Usually, piles. abundance, over-abundance, superabundance, plenty, great deal, quantity, ocean(s), lot(s), stack(s), plethora, Colloq oodles, ton(s), bag(s), heap(s), bundle(s): He made piles of money in the black market. 4 See pier, 2, above. --v. 5 Often, pile up. stack (up), heap (up), mound, accumulate, stockpile, amass, collect, assemble, hoard, aggregate, cumulate: Please pile the cartons in the corner. 6 pile in or into. enter, get in or into, crowd in or into, pack in or into, flood in or into, jam in or into, crush in or into, Colloq jump in or into: All of us piled into my car to go to the cinema. 7 pile it on. exaggerate: Ronnie was really piling it on about how much his new job pays. 8 pile on or onto. a get in or into or on or onto, crowd on or onto, jump on or onto: We piled on the train after the game. They piled onto the hay wagon for a ride home. b attack, assault, jump on, overwhelm: They all piled on me and I had to give up. 9 pile out. leave, get out (of) or down (from), exit: When we arrived, we all piled out of the bus. Hordes of people piled out of the theatre. 10 pile up. accumulate, amass, collect: The rubbish kept piling up during the strike.
pile� | pile�: n. nap, shag, plush; fuzz, bristles, fleece: The feet of the chairs have left marks in the carpet pile.
piles | piles: n.pl. haemorrhoids.
pile-up | pile-up: n. 1 (road) accident, smash, crash, (multiple) (rear-end) collision, Colloq smash-up: Thirty cars were involved in that pile-up on the motorway. 2 accumulation, heap, stack, mass, Colloq mountain: How will you ever get through that pile-up of work on your desk?
pilfer | pilfer: v. steal, rob, plunder, thieve, filch, embezzle, misappropriate, purloin, take, walk off with, palm, Colloq appropriate, pinch, snatch, grab, lift, borrow, Brit nick, snaffle, US boost, Slang hook, snitch, swipe, rip off: The auditors found that he had pilfered small sums from the company for years.
pilgrim | pilgrim: n. hajji or hadji or haji, Medieval history palmer; crusader: The pilgrims visited holy places in and near Jerusalem.
pilgrimage | pilgrimage: n. hajj or hadj, holy expedition, crusade; expedition, journey, trek, voyage, tour, trip, excursion: Every year the entire family made a pilgrimage to grandfather''s grave.
pill | pill: n. 1 tablet, capsule, bolus, pellet, pilule; medicine, medication, medicament, drug, pharmaceutical, remedy, cure; cough drop, pastille, lozenge, troche: Doctor, can''t you give me some kind of pill for this headache? 2 nuisance, bore, pest, Colloq pain (in the neck), crank, drag: I don''t understand what she sees in Leonard - he''s such a pill.
pillage | pillage: v. 1 plunder, raid, ravage, sack, despoil, rob, loot, ransack, rifle, maraud, depredate, devastate, vandalize, ruin, demolish, raze, level, strip: The Goths pillaged every community they conquered and carried off the booty. --n. 2 plunder, rapine, despoliation, looting, robbery, sack, sacking, ransacking, marauding, brigandage, piracy, freebooting, buccaneering, banditry, depredation, devastation, vandalization, defilement, destruction, laying waste, destruction, razing, demolition, levelling, ruin, stripping: Pirates from Tripoli were responsible for the pillage of one coastal town after another. 3 plunder, loot, booty, spoils: In the cave Ali Baba found the pillage from a thousand robberies.
pillar | pillar: n. 1 column, pilaster, pile, piling, pier, upright, post, shaft, prop; atlas, caryatid: The roof is supported by a single pillar. Lot''s wife was turned into a pillar of salt. 2 mainstay, supporter, worthy, upholder, backbone, (tower of) strength, leader: Cummings has been a pillar of strength in our community.
pilot | pilot: n. 1 aviator, aviatrix, flier, airman, airwoman, aeronaut, captain: The pilot announced that we would land in five minutes. 2 steersman, helmsman, navigator, US wheelman or wheelsman; guide, leader, cicerone, conductor: The pilot knows his way through the shoals. A student acted as our pilot in our tour of Oxford. --v. 3 guide, steer, run, direct, shepherd, control, lead, navigate, drive; fly: Only someone with local knowledge can pilot the ship into that harbour. The chairman piloted the company through turbulent times.
pimp | pimp: n. 1 procurer, panderer or pander, White slaver, whoremonger, Slang US hustler: The police rounded up the pimps and prostitutes for questioning. --v. 2 procure, pander, solicit, Slang US hustle: He was well known as having pimped for three generations of the nobility.
pimple | pimple: n. pustule, papula, boil, swelling, eruption, blackhead or technical comedo, excrescence, Brit spot, Scots plouk or plook, US whitehead, Old-fashioned US hickey: The old witch had a pimple at the end of her nose.
pin | pin: n. 1 peg, dowel, bolt, thole, thole-pin, spike, rivet; Brit drawing-pin, US push-pin: The table is held together by wooden pins. We need some more pins for the notice-board. 2 brooch, clip; stickpin, tie-pin, scarf-pin, US tie tack: She is wearing the cameo pin that her mother gave her. I had George''s pin made into a brooch. --v. 3 attach, fix, affix, fasten, secure, tack; hold, staple, clip: Let''s play ''Pin the tail on the donkey''. Pin these papers together. 4 pin down. a force, make, compel, coerce, constrain, press, Brit pressurize, US pressure: We must pin him down to give his decision by tomorrow. b define, specify, pinpoint, name, identify, determine, name, put or lay one''s finger on, home or zero in on, focus on: The doctor was unable to pin down what is wrong with her. c confine, hold (down), fix, immobilize, tie down, constrain: We were pinned down by enemy fire. 5 pin on. blame, hold responsible or accountable, point the finger at, accuse; lay at (someone''s) door: They''ll never be able to pin the murder on Drayton.
pincers | pincers: n.pl. pliers, nippers, tweezers: Can you get the nail out with these pincers?
pinch | pinch: v. 1 squeeze, nip, tweak, press, compress, grip, grasp: I pinched my finger in the drawer. 2 squeeze, cramp, confine, crush, hurt: These shoes really pinch badly. 3 steal, thieve, rob, take, shoplift, filch, pilfer, purloin, Colloq lift, Brit nick, US boost, Slang swipe, knock off: I think it was Andrew who pinched my book. 4 arrest, apprehend, take into custody, Colloq nab, run in, collar, bust, run in, Brit nick: She was pinched for driving while under the influence. 5 pinch pennies. scrimp, save, skimp, economize: We''re pinching pennies now so that we can afford a nice holiday later. --n. 6 squeeze, nip, tweak, twinge: Montrose gave the girl''s cheek an affectionate pinch. 7 touch, (tiny or wee) bit, soup�on, jot, mite, taste, Colloq US tad, smidgen or smidgin: Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. 8 predicament, emergency, crisis, difficulty, dilemma, (ticklish or delicate) situation, complication, Colloq pickle, jam, scrape, Chiefly Brit crunch: Sue will help me out in a pinch.
pink� | pink�: n. 1 in the pink. at one''s best, healthy, hearty, in the best of health, in top form, in good shape, Colloq US up: I saw Rob the other day, and he''s in the pink. --adj. 2 rosy, rose, rose-coloured, pinkish, flesh-colour(ed), salmon(-colour(ed)): The designer suggests pink curtains for the bedroom.
pink� | pink�: v. serrate, notch, scallop; perforate, puncture, prick: Pink the edge of the fabric to prevent fraying.
pinnacle | pinnacle: n. top, peak, apex, acme, summit, zenith, maximum, climax, crowning point, consummation, utmost, extreme, perfection; tip, cap, crest, crown: Being elected chairman was the pinnacle of Mark''s career. The climbers reached the pinnacle, where they will rest overnight.
pioneer | pioneer: n. 1 pathfinder, frontiersman, frontierswoman, trail-blazer, explorer, colonist, (early) settler; ground-breaker, forerunner, precursor, predecessor, innovator, leader, trend-setter, pacemaker, pace-setter: The pioneers who explored and settled the American west were daring men and women. Marconi was a pioneer in the development of radio. --v. 2 create, originate, invent, initiate, take the first step, introduce, institute, actuate, trigger, set off, inaugurate, start, begin, launch, establish, found, set up, develop, lay the groundwork or foundation, set or put in motion, take the lead, lead or show the way, blaze the trail, be a prime mover, open up, Colloq kick off, get the ball rolling: Our company has pioneered systems for automatic typesetting.
pious | pious: adj. 1 devout, religious, reverent, reverential, worshipful, dutiful, God-fearing, godly, faithful, holy, dedicated, devoted, spiritual, moral, good, virtuous, right-minded, saintly, holy, angelic, seraphic, Christ-like, godlike: Francis is a pious boy who attends church regularly. 2 hypocritical, sanctimonious, pietistic, self-righteous, Pharisaic, mealy-mouthed, pretended, fraudulent, goody-goody, unctuous, oily, Colloq Brit smarmy: You are rationalizing your bad behaviour with a lot of pious cant.
pipe | pipe: n. 1 pipeline, tube, duct, hose, line, main, conduit, passage, conveyor, channel: The pipes are inspected regularly for corrosion. 2 briar, meerschaum, corn-cob, calabash, clay pipe, water-pipe, hookah, narghile, chibouk or chibouque, peace-pipe or pipe of peace or calumet, Colloq Irish briar, Brit hubble-bubble, US bong: He slowly tamped down the tobacco in his pipe, then lit it. 3 pan-pipe, whistle, boatswain''s pipe, tooter, horn, wind, wind instrument, woodwind, brass: They play the pipes in the London Symphony. --v. 4 tootle, tweet, skirl, warble, whistle, peep, cheep: One was piping away on a flute, the other was dancing a jig. 5 transmit, deliver, channel, conduct, convey, supply: The gas is piped directly into our homes. 6 US look at, notice, spot, note, look at, Colloq get a load of: Pipe the guy trying to climb up the outside of that building. 7 pipe down. become quieter, quieten down, make less noise, hush (up), shush (up), whisper, Colloq belt up, shut up: I wish they''d pipe down, I can''t sleep. 8 pipe up. speak (up), say, raise one''s voice, make oneself heard, offer, volunteer: Sally piped up with the correct answer from the back of the classroom.
pipeline | pipeline: n. 1 pipe, tube, duct, hose, line, main, conduit, passage, conveyor, channel: Pipelines carry gas from the North Sea throughout Britain. Very little information was flowing through the pipeline from Beirut. 2 in the pipeline. on the way, under way, in the offing, ready, imminent, coming, Colloq in the works, cooking, US in work: They said that the contract was in the pipeline and should arrive soon.
pirate | pirate: n. 1 buccaneer, sea rover, corsair, privateer, freebooter, sea-robber, filibuster, Archaic picaroon: Captain Kidd and Blackbeard were actual pirates who looted shipping in the Americas in the 17th century. 2 plagiarist, plagiarizer, infringer: Some of these pirates offer unauthorized cheap reprints of expensive textbooks. --v. 3 plagiarize, infringe, copy, reproduce, steal, appropriate, poach, Colloq lift, pinch, crib: Our government has no jurisdiction over those who pirate books in countries with which we have no treaty.
pirouette | pirouette: n. 1 spin, whirl, twirl, turn, revolution, pivoting: Antoinette did a beautiful pirouette followed by a pas de chat. --v. 2 spin, whirl, turn (round), revolve, pivot: He was so happy that he fairly pirouetted round the room.
pistol | pistol: n. gun, handgun, revolver, automatic, Slang rod, piece, shooting-iron, Chiefly US gat, US Saturday-night special, heater, roscoe: In the United States, law enforcement officers are required to carry a pistol.
piston | piston: n. plunger: The piston in a bicycle pump is worked by hand.
pit� | pit�: n. 1 hole, excavation, shaft, cavity, mine, mine-shaft, quarry, working, ditch, trench, trough: Pits had been dug for the extraction of gravel. 2 pothole, hollow, depression, dent, indentation, dimple, pock-mark: His face was disfigured by the pits left by teenage acne. 3 abyss, chasm, well, crevasse, crater: We found a bottomless pit that led to the centre of the earth. 4 the pits. awful, terrible, the worst, Slang lousy: That TV show last night was the pits. He thought that going to school was the pits. --v. 5 dent, pock-mark, dig, scar, hollow out, gouge: The salt air has pitted the metal parts of my car. 6 Often, pit against. match, oppose, set against; contrast: Shirley doesn''t stand a chance if they pit her against Maria.
pit� | pit�: n. stone, seed, pip: I prefer seedless grapes, the ones without pits.
pitch� | pitch�: v. 1 toss, throw, cast, fling, hurl, heave, sling, fire, launch, shoot, send, let fly, Cricket bowl, Colloq chuck, peg, lob, Brit bung: He rolled the paper into a ball and pitched it into the basket. 2 erect, raise, set or put up, position, fix, place: We ought to pitch the tent in a level area. 3 plunge, fall (headlong), dive, drop, plummet, (take a) nosedive: I caught my toe on the kerb and pitched forward onto the pavement. 4 Chiefly nautical toss about, lurch, plunge, flounder, go head over heels, go keel over truck, US pitchpole or pitchpoll: The wind reached force ten as we pitched and rolled and yawed in the heavy seas. 5 pitch in. contribute, cooperate, help, assist, Colloq chip in: Everyone pitched in to make the church fair a success. 6 pitch into. a attack, lay into, assail, lash out at, abuse, rail against, Colloq lace into, tear into, jump down (someone''s) throat, jump on: Reggie''s wife really pitched into him about going out with other women. b attack, assault, set upon, belabour, Colloq light into, sail into, tear into: They pitched into each other and fought like Kilkenny cats. 7 pitch on or upon. determine, decide on, select, pick, choose, opt for, elect, nominate, name, Colloq light on: They pitched on Carrie to be the best candidate for treasurer.
pitch� | pitch�: n. tar, bitumen, asphalt: Peter patched potholes with pitch.
pitch-black | pitch-black: adj. black, dark, ebon(y), Stygian, inky(-black), unlit, unlighted, pitch-dark, coal-black, jet-black; raven, sable: The cellar was pitch-black. Her pale complexion was in stark contrast to her pitch-black hair.
pitched | pitched: adj. organized, planned, deliberate, coordinated, arranged, systematized: The two armies fought a pitched battle on the plain.
piteous | piteous: adj. pitiable, pathetic, pitiful, plaintive, miserable, heart-rending, poignant, distressing, grievous, heart-breaking, mournful, sad, doleful, dolorous, tearful, lamentable, deplorable, regrettable, rueful, woeful, moving, emotional: We heard the piteous wailing of the mothers who had lost children in the disaster.
pitfall | pitfall: n. 1 trap, pit: Pitfalls were often used in Burma for trapping tigers. 2 danger, peril, hazard, catch, difficulty, snag: You might well encounter pitfalls, but don''t be discouraged.
pith | pith: n. 1 core, heart, kernel, nucleus, crux, gist, focus, focal point, essence, meat, marrow, nub, point, spirit, substance, quintessence: As usual, Randolph came immediately to the pith of the argument. 2 weight, burden, gravamen, gravity, force, moment, import, importance, significance, substance, depth, matter: I have something of great pith to tell you about.
pitiable | pitiable: adj. See piteous, above.
pitiful | pitiful: adj. 1 See piteous, above. 2 small, little, insignificant, trifling, unimportant, beggarly, sorry, mean, contemptible: Does Hodges seriously expect us to praise him for that pitiful contribution of his?
pittance | pittance: n. mite, shoestring, Slang peanuts, chicken-feed, small potatoes: The miserable pittance that she receives does not even cover the necessities of life. He''s trying to run that business on a pittance.
pitted | pitted: adj. eaten away, corroded, eroded, pock-marked, defaced, marred, pierced, perforated: The chrome plating is all pitted where the acid splashed.
pity | pity: n. 1 sympathy, commiseration, sorrow, condolence, compassion, tenderness, Archaic ruth: I really feel pity for Betty, being married to such a brute. 2 (crying or damned) shame, sad thing, disgrace, misfortune, sin, sacrilege, Colloq crime: It''s a pity that no one can do anything. --v. 3 sympathize, feel for, commiserate with, feel sorry for, feel or have compassion or tenderness for, bleed for, weep for: I pity any mother whose son goes off to war.
pivot | pivot: n. 1 pintle, gudgeon, hinge, swivel, pin, kingpin, spindle, fulcrum: Use this stone as a pivot for the lever to lift the rock. 2 centre, heart, focal point, hub, nave, crux: The finance minister regards the interest rate as the pivot on which the economy turns. --v. 3 rotate, revolve, turn, spin, twirl, whirl, swivel: The flywheel pivots on a bearing that requires constant lubrication. 4 hinge, depend, hang, be contingent, revolve around, rely: The whole deal pivots on the cooperation of the banks.
pivotal | pivotal: adj. critical, central, focal, crucial, significant, important, essential, vital, pressing, urgent, radical: The attitude of the judge is pivotal in the jury''s decision.
