PITCH

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pitch mean? 

• PITCH (noun)
  The noun PITCH has 11 senses:

1. the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration

2. (baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter

3. a vendor's position (especially on the sidewalk)

4. promotion by means of an argument and demonstration

5. degree of deviation from a horizontal plane

6. any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue

7. a sports field with predetermined dimensions for playing soccer

8. a high approach shot in golf

9. an all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump

10. abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance)

11. the action or manner of throwing something

  Familiarity information: PITCH used as a noun is familiar.

• PITCH (verb)
  The verb PITCH has 12 senses:

1. throw or toss with a light motion

2. move abruptly

3. fall or plunge forward

4. set to a certain pitch

5. sell or offer for sale from place to place

6. be at an angle

7. heel over

8. erect and fasten

9. throw or hurl from the mound to the batter, as in baseball

10. hit (a golf ball) in a high arc with a backspin

11. lead (a card) and establish the trump suit

12. set the level or character of

  Familiarity information: PITCH used as a verb is familiar.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PITCH (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

sound property (an attribute of sound)

Attribute:

high; high-pitched (used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency)

low; low-pitched (used of sounds and voices; low in pitch or frequency)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pitch"):

tune (the property of producing accurately a note of a given pitch)

tone ((linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages)

bass (the lowest part of the musical range)

tenor (the pitch range of the highest male voice)

alto ((of a musical instrument) the second highest instrument in a family of musical instruments)

alto (the pitch range of the lowest female voice)

key (pitch of the voice)

soprano; treble (the pitch range of the highest female voice)

high frequency; high pitch (a pitch that is perceived as above other pitches)

concert pitch; international pitch; philharmonic pitch (the pitch used to tune instruments for concert performances; usually assigns 440 Hz to the A above middle C)

low frequency; low pitch (a pitch that is perceived as below other pitches)

Derivation:

pitch (set to a certain pitch)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

delivery; pitch

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

throw (the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist))

Domain category:

ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pitch"):

ball (a pitch that is not in the strike zone)

balk (an illegal pitching motion while runners are on base)

wild pitch (an errant pitch that the catcher cannot be expected to catch and that allows a base runner to advance a base)

submarine ball; submarine pitch (a pitch thrown sidearm instead of overhead)

strike ((baseball) a pitch that the batter swings at and misses, or that the batter hits into foul territory, or that the batter does not swing at but the umpire judges to be in the area over home plate and between the batter's knees and shoulders)

spitball; spitter (an illegal pitch in which a foreign substance (spit or Vaseline) is applied to the ball by the pitcher before he throws it)

sinker (a pitch that curves downward rapidly as it approaches the plate)

screwball (a pitch with reverse spin that curves toward the side of the plate from which it was thrown)

passed ball (a pitch that the catcher should have caught but did not; allows a base runner to advance a base)

overhand pitch (a baseball pitch in which the hand moves above the shoulder)

knuckleball; knuckler (a baseball pitch thrown with little speed or spin)

bullet; fastball; heater; hummer; smoke ((baseball) a pitch thrown with maximum velocity)

duster (a pitch thrown deliberately close to the batter)

bender; breaking ball; curve; curve ball (a pitch of a baseball that is thrown with spin so that its path curves as it approaches the batter)

change-of-pace; change-of-pace ball; change-up; off-speed pitch (a baseball thrown with little velocity when the batter is expecting a fastball)

beanball; beaner (a baseball deliberately thrown at the batter's head)

Derivation:

pitch (throw or hurl from the mound to the batter, as in baseball)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A vendor's position (especially on the sidewalk)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Context example:

he was employed to see that his paper's news pitches were not trespassed upon by rival vendors

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

place; position (the particular portion of space occupied by something)

Domain region:

Britain; Great Britain; U.K.; UK; United Kingdom; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom)

Derivation:

pitch (sell or offer for sale from place to place)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Promotion by means of an argument and demonstration

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

pitch; sales pitch; sales talk

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

packaging; promo; promotion; promotional material; publicity (a message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution)

Derivation:

pitch (sell or offer for sale from place to place)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Degree of deviation from a horizontal plane

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

pitch; rake; slant

Context example:

the roof had a steep pitch

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

gradient; slope (the property possessed by a line or surface that departs from the horizontal)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pitch"):

loft ((golf) the backward slant on the head of some golf clubs that is designed to drive the ball high in the air)

Derivation:

pitch (heel over)

pitch (be at an angle)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

pitch; tar

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

bitumen (any of various naturally occurring impure mixtures of hydrocarbons)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pitch"):

coal tar (a tar formed from distillation of bituminous coal; coal tar can be further distilled to give various aromatic compounds)

Derivation:

pitchy (having the characteristics of pitch or tar)

pitchy (of the blackest black; similar to the color of jet or coal)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A sports field with predetermined dimensions for playing soccer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting spatial position

Synonyms:

pitch; soccer field

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

athletic field; field; playing area; playing field (a piece of land prepared for playing a game)

Sense 8

Meaning:

A high approach shot in golf

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

pitch; pitch shot

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

approach; approach shot (a relatively short golf shot intended to put the ball onto the putting green)

Derivation:

pitch (hit (a golf ball) in a high arc with a backspin)

Sense 9

Meaning:

An all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

auction pitch; pitch

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

all fours; high-low-jack (card games in which points are won for taking the high or low or jack or game)

Derivation:

pitch (lead (a card) and establish the trump suit)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

lurch; pitch; pitching

Context example:

the pitching and tossing was quite exciting

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

motility; motion; move; movement (a change of position that does not entail a change of location)

Domain category:

ship (a vessel that carries passengers or freight)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pitch"):

careen; rock; sway; tilt (pitching dangerously to one side)

Derivation:

pitch (move abruptly)

Sense 11

Meaning:

The action or manner of throwing something

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Context example:

his pitch fell short and his hat landed on the floor

Hypernyms ("pitch" is a kind of...):

throw (the act of throwing (propelling something with a rapid movement of the arm and wrist))

Derivation:

pitch (throw or toss with a light motion)

• PITCH (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Throw or toss with a light motion

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

flip; pitch; sky; toss

Context example:

toss me newspaper

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

fling (throw with force or recklessness)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pitch"):

lag (throw or pitch at a mark, as with coins)

throw back; toss back (throw back with a quick, light motion)

submarine (throw with an underhand motion)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

The children pitch the ball

Derivation:

pitch (the action or manner of throwing something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move abruptly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

lurch; pitch; shift

Context example:

The ship suddenly lurched to the left

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

pitch; pitching (abrupt up-and-down motion (as caused by a ship or other conveyance))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Fall or plunge forward

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

She pitched over the railing of the balcony

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

come down; descend; fall; go down (move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The airplane is sure to pitch

Sense 4

Meaning:

Set to a certain pitch

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

He pitched his voice very low

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

set (put into a certain state; cause to be in a certain state)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pitch (the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Sell or offer for sale from place to place

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

hawk; huckster; monger; peddle; pitch; vend

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

deal; sell; trade (do business; offer for sale as for one's livelihood)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pitch (promotion by means of an argument and demonstration)

pitch (a vendor's position (especially on the sidewalk))

Sense 6

Meaning:

Be at an angle

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

incline; pitch; slope

Context example:

The terrain sloped down

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

angle; lean; slant; tilt; tip (to incline or bend from a vertical position)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pitch"):

ascend (slope upwards)

stoop (sag, bend, bend over or down)

fall (slope downward)

climb (slope upward)

dip (slope downwards)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP

Derivation:

pitch (degree of deviation from a horizontal plane)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Heel over

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

cant; cant over; pitch; slant; tilt

Context example:

The ceiling is slanting

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pitch"):

cock (tilt or slant to one side)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pitch (degree of deviation from a horizontal plane)

Sense 8

Meaning:

Erect and fasten

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

pitch; set up

Context example:

pitch a tent

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

erect; rear (cause to rise up)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pitch"):

camp; camp down (establish or set up a camp)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 9

Meaning:

Throw or hurl from the mound to the batter, as in baseball

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

deliver; pitch

Context example:

The pitcher delivered the ball

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

throw (propel through the air)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pitch ((baseball) the act of throwing a baseball by a pitcher to a batter)

pitcher ((baseball) the person who does the pitching)

Sense 10

Meaning:

Hit (a golf ball) in a high arc with a backspin

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pitch (a high approach shot in golf)

Sense 11

Meaning:

Lead (a card) and establish the trump suit

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

play (put (a card or piece) into play during a game, or act strategically as if in a card game)

Domain category:

card game; cards (a game played with playing cards)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

pitch (an all-fours game in which the first card led is a trump)

Sense 12

Meaning:

Set the level or character of

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

gear; pitch

Context example:

She pitched her speech to the teenagers in the audience

Hypernyms (to "pitch" is one way to...):

accommodate; adapt (make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pitch"):

popularise; popularize (make understandable to the general public)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something to somebody

 Context examples 

I shall never live at such a pitch again.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“It is over the fifth!” cried a Gascon loudly, and a comrade came running with waving arms to say that the bolt had pitched eight paces beyond the mark of the five hundred.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

There were times when several dogs, pitching on to him, punished him before he could get away; and there were times when a single dog scored deeply on him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

But, try what she would, she could not get the pitch off and it stuck to her as long as she lived.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

You have time—it would be best not to pitch new clients or hire a recruit until December.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I pitched it in red-hot on purpose; and before the hour's out, as he said, we shall be boarded.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

So sleepily helpless was I that she was compelled to hold me in my chair to prevent my being flung to the floor by the violent pitching of the schooner.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Outside the air was sweet, the sun shone, and the birds sang, and it seemed as if all nature were tuned to a different pitch.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

And all the time, as we were pitching it in red hot, we were keeping the women off him as best we could for they were as wild as harpies.

(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

In the meantime the fire remained unbuilt, the camp half pitched, and the dogs unfed.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)