Meaning & use
pitch
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablemusic
How high or low a musical note or voice sounds.
Grammar: Usually uncountable: the pitch of her voice.
Patterns
- the pitch of something
- perfect pitch
The pitch of the violin rose as she tightened the string.
He has perfect pitch and can name any note he hears.
Her voice dropped in pitch when she was angry.
nouncountablebusiness
A speech or presentation meant to persuade people to buy, fund or accept an idea.
Grammar: Use make or give a pitch.
Patterns
- a pitch for something
- make a pitch to someone
She made her pitch to the investors in under five minutes.
The agency's pitch won the contract.
His sales pitch sounded too good to be true.
nouncountableBritishsport
In British English, a marked field where a team sport such as football or cricket is played.
Grammar: British English; Americans say field.
Patterns
- on the pitch
The fans ran onto the pitch after the final whistle.
Rain left the pitch too wet to play on.
He walked the pitch before the match.
verbtransitive or intransitivesport
To throw a ball toward the batter in baseball or softball.
Grammar: Can take an object or not: he pitched a fastball; she pitches on Sundays.
Patterns
- pitch something to someone
- pitch for a team
She pitched the final two innings.
He pitches for the local team.
The coach asked Dan to pitch a few balls to the beginners.
verbtransitive
To put up a tent or camp in a place.
Grammar: Takes an object: pitch a tent.
Patterns
- pitch something somewhere
We pitched our tent beside the river.
They pitched camp before dark.
It was windy, so he pitched the tent behind the rocks.
verbtransitive or intransitivebusiness
To propose an idea or product to someone in order to win support.
Grammar: Often followed by to: pitch an idea to the board.
Patterns
- pitch something to someone
- pitch for something
The startup pitched its app to three investors.
She is pitching for the new campaign tomorrow.
They pitched the idea as a way to save money.
Word forms
| third person singular | pitches |
|---|---|
| past tense | pitched |
| past participle | pitched |
| -ing form | pitching |
| plural | pitches |
Common combinations
- perfect pitch
- Her perfect pitch helped her tune the guitar by ear.
- sales pitch
- The sales pitch lasted ten minutes.
- pitch a tent
- They pitched a tent near the lake.
- pitch an idea
- He pitched an idea for a new show.
- high-pitched voice
- A high-pitched voice called from the kitchen.
- football pitch
- The football pitch was freshly painted.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tone
- Tone covers the overall quality of a sound, while pitch refers only to how high or low it is.
- presentation
- Presentation is a neutral word for any talk, but a pitch is always aimed at persuading someone to say yes.
- field
- Field is the American word for the playing area that British speakers call a pitch.
- throw
- Throw is general and works for any object, whereas pitch is the specific baseball action of delivering the ball to the batter.
Word family
Commonly confused: pitch or pitch (tar)?
pitch vs pitch (tar)
Pitch is also a sticky black substance like tar; it is a separate word from the musical one, as in pitch-black.
Practice
The singer's voice rose in ___ as the song reached its climax.
Choose one answer.
Pitch means how high a sound is, so it fits a voice rising. Speed, weight and width are not qualities of a sound in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pitch”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.