pitch

¹

[ pich ]

verb (used with object)

1. to erect or set up (a tent, camp, or the like).
2. to put, set, or plant in a fixed or definite place or position.
3. to throw, fling, hurl, or toss.
4. Baseball.
   1. to deliver or serve (the ball) to the batter.
   2. to fill the position of pitcher in (a game):

      He pitched a no-hitter. He pitched a good game.

   3. to choose or assign as a pitcher for a game:

      The manager pitched Greene the next night.

5. to set at a certain point, degree, level, etc.:

   He pitched his hopes too high.

6. Music. to set at a particular pitch, or determine the key or keynote of (a melody).
7. Cards.
   1. to lead (a card of a particular suit), thereby fixing that suit as trump.
   2. to determine (the trump) in this manner.
8. to pave or revet with small stones.
9. Masonry.
   1. to square (a stone), cutting the arrises true with a chisel.
   2. to cut with a chisel.
10. Informal. to attempt to sell or win approval for; promote; advertise:

    to pitch breakfast foods at a sales convention.

11. Informal. to approach or court (as a person, company, or the public) in hope of a sale, approval, or interest; make an appeal to.
12. to cause to pitch.
13. Obsolete. to set in order; to arrange, as a field of battle.
14. Obsolete. to fix firmly as in the ground; embed.

verb (used without object)

1. to plunge or fall forward or headlong.
2. to lurch.
3. to throw or toss.
4. Baseball.
   1. to deliver or serve the ball to the batter.
   2. to fill the position of pitcher

      He pitched for the Mets last year.

5. to slope downward; dip.
6. to plunge with alternate fall and rise of bow and stern, as a ship ( roll ).
7. (of a rocket or guided missile) to deviate from a stable flight attitude by oscillations of the longitudinal axis in a vertical plane about the center of gravity.
8. to fix a tent or temporary habitation; encamp:

   They pitched by a mountain stream.

9. Golf. to play a pitch shot.
10. Informal. to attempt to sell or win approval for something or someone by advertising, promotion, etc.:

    politicians pitching on TV.

11. Rare. to become established; settle down.

noun

1. relative point, position, or degree:

   a high pitch of excitement.

2. the degree of inclination or slope; angle:

   the pitch of an arch; the pitch of a stair.

3. the highest point or greatest height:

   enjoying the pitch of success.

4. (in music, speech, etc.) the degree of height or depth of a tone or of sound, depending upon the relative rapidity of the vibrations by which it is produced.
5. Music. the particular tonal standard with which given tones may be compared in respect to their relative level.
6. Acoustics. the apparent predominant frequency sounded by an acoustical source.
7. act or manner of pitching.
8. a throw or toss.
9. Baseball. the serving of the ball to the batter by the pitcher, usually preceded by a windup or stretch.
10. a pitching movement or forward plunge, as of a ship.
11. upward or downward inclination or slope:

    a road descending at a steep pitch.

12. a sloping part or place:

    to build on the pitch of a hill.

13. a quantity of something pitched or placed somewhere.
14. Cricket. the central part of the field; the area between the wickets.
15. Informal.
    1. an often high-pressured talk or message intended to sell or win approval for something: an email pitch to gain support for a proposal.

       a sales pitch for a new product;

       an email pitch to gain support for a proposal.

    2. a specific plan of action; angle:

       to tackle a problem again, using a new pitch.

16. the specific location in which a person or object is placed or stationed; allotted or assigned place.
17. Chiefly British. the established location, often a street corner, of a beggar, street peddler, newspaper vendor, etc.
18. Aeronautics.
    1. the nosing of an airplane or spacecraft up or down about a transverse axis.
    2. the distance that a given propeller would advance in one revolution.
19. (of a rocket or guided missile)
    1. the motion due to pitching.
    2. the extent of the rotation of the longitudinal axis involved in pitching.
20. Also called plunge. Geology. the inclination of a linear feature, as the axis of a fold or an oreshoot, from the horizontal.
21. Machinery.
    1. the distance between the corresponding surfaces of two adjacent gear teeth measured either along the pitch circle circular pitch or between perpendiculars to the root surfaces normal pitch.
    2. the ratio of the number of teeth in a gear or splined shaft to the pitch circle diameter, expressed in inches.
    3. the distance between any two adjacent things in a series, as screw threads, rivets, etc.
22. (in carpet weaving) the weftwise number of warp ends, usually determined in relation to 27 inches (68.6 centimeters).
23. Cards.
    1. all fours ( def 2 ).
    2. auction pitch.
24. Masonry. a true or even surface on a stone.
25. (of typewriter type) a unit of measurement indicating the number of characters to a horizontal inch:

    Pica is a 10-pitch type.

verb phrase

1. Informal.
   1. to begin to work in earnest and vigorously:

      If I really pitch in, I may be able to finish the paper before the deadline.

   2. to contribute to a common cause; join in:

      When they took up a collection for the annual dinner, he promised to pitch in.

2. to choose, especially casually or without forethought; decide on:

   We pitched on a day for our picnic.

3. Informal.
   1. to attack verbally or physically:

      He apologized for pitching into me yesterday.

   2. to begin to work on vigorously.

pitch

²

[ pich ]

noun

1. any of various dark, tenacious, and viscous substances for caulking and paving, consisting of the residue of the distillation of coal tar or wood tar.
2. any of certain bitumens, as asphalt:

   mineral pitch.

3. any of various resins.
4. the sap or crude turpentine that exudes from the bark of pines.

verb (used with object)

1. to smear or cover with pitch.

pitch

¹

/ pɪtʃ /

noun

1. any of various heavy dark viscid substances obtained as a residue from the distillation of tars See also coal-tar pitch
2. any of various similar substances, such as asphalt, occurring as natural deposits
3. any of various similar substances obtained by distilling certain organic substances so that they are incompletely carbonized
4. crude turpentine obtained as sap from pine trees piceous

verb

1. tr to apply pitch to (something)

pitch

²

/ pɪtʃ /

verb

1. to hurl or throw (something); cast; fling
2. usually tr to set up (a camp, tent, etc)
3. tr to place or thrust (a stake, spear, etc) into the ground
4. intr to move vigorously or irregularly to and fro or up and down
5. tr to aim or fix (something) at a particular level, position, style, etc

   if you advertise privately you may pitch the price too low

6. tr to aim to sell (a product) to a specified market or on a specified basis
7. intr to slope downwards
8. intr to fall forwards or downwards
9. intr (of a vessel) to dip and raise its bow and stern alternately
10. cricket to bowl (a ball) so that it bounces on a certain part of the wicket, or (of a ball) to bounce on a certain part of the wicket
11. intr (of a missile, aircraft, etc) to deviate from a stable flight attitude by movement of the longitudinal axis about the lateral axis Compare yaw roll
12. tr (in golf) to hit (a ball) steeply into the air, esp with backspin to minimize roll
13. tr music
    1. to sing or play accurately (a note, interval, etc)
    2. usually passive (of a wind instrument) to specify or indicate its basic key or harmonic series by its size, manufacture, etc
14. tr cards to lead (a suit) and so determine trumps for that trick
15. baseball
    1. tr to throw (a baseball) to a batter
    2. intr to act as pitcher in a baseball game
16. dialect.
    used withit as subject to snow without the settled snow melting
17. in there pitching informal.
    taking part with enthusiasm
18. pitch a tale or pitch a yarn
    to tell a story, usually of a fantastic nature

noun

1. the degree of elevation or depression
2. 1. the angle of descent of a downward slope
   2. such a slope
3. the extreme height or depth
4. mountaineering a section of a route between two belay points, sometimes equal to the full length of the rope but often shorter
5. the degree of slope of a roof, esp when expressed as a ratio of height to span
6. the distance between corresponding points on adjacent members of a body of regular form, esp the distance between teeth on a gearwheel or between threads on a screw thread
7. the distance between regularly spaced objects such as rivets, bolts, etc
8. the pitching motion of a ship, missile, etc
9. 1. the distance a propeller advances in one revolution, assuming no slip
   2. the blade angle of a propeller or rotor
10. the distance between the back rest of a seat in a passenger aircraft and the back of the seat in front of it
11. music
    1. the auditory property of a note that is conditioned by its frequency relative to other notes

       low pitch

       high pitch

    2. an absolute frequency assigned to a specific note, fixing the relative frequencies of all other notes. The fundamental frequencies of the notes A–G, in accordance with the frequency A = 440 hertz, were internationally standardized and accepted in 1939 See also concert pitch international pitch
12. cricket the rectangular area between the stumps, 22 yards long and 10 feet wide; the wicket
13. geology the inclination of the axis of an anticline or syncline or of a stratum or vein from the horizontal
14. another name for seven-up
15. the act or manner of pitching a ball, as in cricket
16. a vendor's station, esp on a pavement
17. slang.
    a persuasive sales talk, esp one routinely repeated
18. (in many sports) the field of play
19. Also calledpitch shot golf an approach shot in which the ball is struck in a high arc
20. make a pitch for slang.
    1. to give verbal support to
    2. to attempt to attract (someone) sexually or romantically
21. queer someone's pitch informal.
    to upset someone's plans

pitch

/ pĭch /

1. A thick, tarlike substance obtained by distilling coal tar, used for roofing, waterproofing, and paving.
2. Any of various natural bitumens, such as asphalt, having similar uses.
3. A resin derived from the sap of a cone-bearing tree, such as a pine.

Other Words From

• pitcha·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pitch¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb picchen, piche(n), pitche “to thrust, pierce, set, set up (a tent, etc.), array, throw”; perhaps from Old English pícian, piccan, piccean (unattested) “to prick,” or akin to pick ¹; noun derivative of the verb

Origin of pitch²

First recorded before 900; Middle English pich(e), Old English pic, from Latin pic- (stem of pix ), whence also Dutch pek, German Pech; akin to Greek píssa, pítta “pitch”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pitch¹

Old English pic, from Latin pix

Origin of pitch²

C13 picchen; possibly related to pick ¹

Idioms and Phrases

• black as night (pitch)
• in there pitching
• make a pitch for
• sales pitch
• wild pitch

Synonym Study

See throw.

Example Sentences

They said Ms Allen-Wyatt used multiple reasons for not doing them, including car crashes, lack of pitch availability, schedule clashes, her hen party and her wedding.

From BBC

USC was among the schools that made a fatal mistake in their pitch: They told the high school senior they wanted him as a defensive back, taking them out of the running.

From Los Angeles Times

De Bruyne’s superb vision and ability to play passes into the right areas remains, but he is one of City’s highest earners and Guardiola needs him on the pitch more often.

From BBC

Once the players got to the pitch, they played out a goalless 90 minutes.

From BBC

Hong Kong jails pro-democracy activists as it pitches for global investment.

From New York Times

Related Words

• angle
• point

More About Pitch

What is a basic definition of pitch?

Pitch means to set up a tent or similar structure, to throw something, or to promote something. Pitch has many other senses as a verb and a noun.

When you pitch a tent, you are setting or standing it up. Relatedly, pitch also means to insert something into the ground, such as tent pegs.

• Used in a sentence: The knight pitched his sword into the ground and collapsed.

Pitch is also used to mean to throw or fling something. Pitch is used in baseball to specifically mean to throw the ball toward the batter while standing on the mound. The player who throws the ball is called the pitcher.

• Used in a sentence: I pitched the ball of paper into the garbage. 

Pitch can also mean to try to get somebody to buy or accept something or to advertise something. This often involves trying to make whatever is being pitched sound great.

• Real-life examples: Writers pitch stories to editors, who get to decide which stories actually get published. Employees will pitch ideas to their boss. Salespeople sometimes aggressively pitch products to potential customers.
• Used in a sentence: We pitched our idea for a new TV show to the network, but I don’t think they liked it. 

Pitch is also used in this sense to refer to an aggressive attempt at trying to persuade someone.

• Used in a sentence: We listened to the insurance agent’s sales pitch.

Where does pitch come from?

The first records of pitch come from around 1175. It comes from the Middle English picchen, meaning “to thrust,” “to pierce” or “to set up (a tent).”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to pitch?

• pitcher (noun)
• pitchable (adjective)
• pitchlike (adjective)

What are some synonyms for pitch?

• put up
• erect
• throw
• hurl
• fling
• advertise
• plug
• promote

What are some words that share a root or word element with pitch? 

• pitcher
• pitch in
• pitch on
• sales pitch
• pitched battle

What are some words that often get used in discussing pitch?

• tent
• camp
• stake
• flag
• baseball

How is pitch used in real life?

Pitch is a common word that most often means to throw something or to advertise something.

Okay so tonight I pitched my cat idea to husband and I was super nervous because he didn’t really want to get another pet but… HE AGREED 😺😻😻😻😻😻😻 we’re going to go check out our local shelter next week!!!!

— 𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝙱 ☕️📖 (@ParisandProse_) January 4, 2021

A mom who thought her toddler had too much parade candy just pitched it across the street at other kids. #multnomahdays

— Amy Wang (@ORAmyW) August 16, 2014

With THE GREAT GATSBY entering public domain tomorrow, here’s my pitch for a Gatsbyverse film franchise:

2022: GATSBYMAN: When exposed to a mysterious green light, a young man develops the ability to incapacitate enemies by firing fusillades of bespoke dress shirts at them.

— Glen Weldon (@ghweldon) December 31, 2020

Try using pitch!

Is pitch used correctly in the following sentence?

After the show was over, we carefully pitched the circus tent and put all of the pieces of the collapsed tent back into the truck.