pit in my stomach

Meaning

1. 1phraseidiomfigurative

   A heavy, sinking feeling of worry, fear or dread that seems to sit in your belly.

   Grammar: Usually follows have or feel: I had a pit in my stomach.

   Patterns

   • have a pit in your stomach
   • feel a pit in your stomach
   • give someone a pit in the stomach

   I had a pit in my stomach as I waited for the exam results.

   She felt a pit in her stomach when she saw the police car outside.

   The silence on the phone gave him a pit in his stomach.

Common combinations

have a pit in your stomach

I have a pit in my stomach about tomorrow's meeting.

feel a pit in your stomach

He felt a pit in his stomach on the drive home.

a sinking pit in your stomach

A sinking pit in her stomach told her something was wrong.

get a pit in your stomach

I get a pit in my stomach every time I see his name on my screen.

Synonyms and how they differ

dread

Dread names the fear itself, while a pit in the stomach describes how it feels in the body.

butterflies

Butterflies suggest light, nervous excitement, whereas a pit in the stomach feels heavier and more negative.

sinking feeling

Sinking feeling is almost the same idea but is more general and does not point to the stomach.

Opposites

Word family

stomach noun

the organ in the belly, or the belly itself

stomach verb

to bear or tolerate something unpleasant

pit noun

a large hole, or a hard seed in some fruit

Commonly confused: pit in my stomach or butterflies in my stomach?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “pit in my stomach”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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