pitch
gb/pˈɪt͡ʃ/ us/pˈɪt͡ʃ/
A2
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Try to sell or promote
To try to make someone buy or accept something by talking about it.
Usage pattern:
to pitch [something] to [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'pitch' with 'throw' in this sense; in business contexts it means 'promote', not physically throw.
Synonyms
promote (Emphasizes publicizing or encouraging interest, not necessarily in a direct sales context.)
|
propose (Focuses on formally suggesting an idea rather than actively selling it.)
Antonyms
ignore (To not give attention or effort to presenting something.)
Collocations
pitch an idea
|pitch a product
|sales pitch
|pitch a proposal
|pitch to investors
Themes
business
|sales
|marketing
|communication
Examples
- She pitched her new app to several venture capital firms.
- The marketing team pitched the campaign to the client.
- He pitched the movie script to a famous director.
- They pitched their services at the trade show.
- We pitched our plan during the meeting.
Learner examples
- She pitched her idea to the boss.
- He pitched a new game to the company.
- The man pitched his book to a publisher.
- We pitched our plan to the teacher.
- They pitched their shop to tourists.
Noun
A2
event
2
Throw of a ball in sport
A throw of the ball toward the hitter in baseball or similar games.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'pitch' with 'field' in sports; here it means the throw, not the playing area.
Synonyms
throw (Generic term for sending something through the air; less specific to sports rules.)
Antonyms
catch (Receiving rather than delivering the ball.)
Collocations
fast pitch
|curve pitch
|throw a pitch
|pitch speed
Themes
sports
Examples
- The pitcher threw a fast pitch.
- That was the fastest pitch of the game.
- He practiced his curve pitch all summer.
- The batter missed the last pitch.
- Her pitch was right over the plate.
Learner examples
- He threw a fast pitch.
- The pitch was hard to hit.
- She made a slow pitch.
- The man caught the pitch.
- The player missed the pitch.
Noun
A2
entity
3
Sports playing field
A marked piece of ground where some sports are played.
Common mistake:
Learners might confuse 'pitch' with 'court'; 'court' is used for sports like tennis and basketball.
Synonyms
field (Common in American English; 'pitch' is more British.)
Antonyms
stands (The seating area for spectators, not where the game is played.)
Collocations
football pitch
|rugby pitch
|hockey pitch
Themes
sports
Examples
- The football match will be played on the main pitch.
- The rugby pitch was muddy after the rain.
- They trained on an artificial pitch.
- The players walked onto the pitch before the game.
- The referee inspected the pitch conditions.
Learner examples
- We played on the football pitch.
- The pitch was wet after rain.
- The players ran across the pitch.
- They cleaned the hockey pitch.
- The rugby pitch is very big.
Noun
B1
property
4
Highness or lowness of sound
How high or low a sound is.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'pitch' with 'tone'; tone can include emotion and quality beyond highness or lowness.
Synonyms
tone (Refers more broadly to quality of sound, not just frequency.)
Antonyms
volume (Refers to loudness, not frequency.)
Collocations
high pitch
|low pitch
|perfect pitch
Themes
music
|arts_entertainment
|science
Examples
- She sang the note at exactly the right pitch.
- The alarm has a very high pitch.
- He has perfect pitch and can identify any note.
- Dogs can hear pitches humans cannot.
- The pitch of her voice changed suddenly.
Learner examples
- The song has a high pitch.
- That bell has a low pitch.
- He can sing at any pitch.
- Dogs hear high pitches.
- Her voice has a nice pitch.
Verb
A2
action
5
Throw something in sport/game
To throw a ball hard toward another player in some sports.
Usage pattern:
to pitch [something] to [someone]
Synonyms
throw (More general term; 'pitch' is specific to certain sports.)
Antonyms
catch (To receive rather than send the ball.)
Collocations
pitch a ball
|pitch to the batter
Themes
sports
Examples
- He pitched the ball straight down the middle.
- She pitched three innings without allowing a run.
- He learned how to pitch from his father.
- They pitched to their strongest hitter first.
Learner examples
- He pitched the ball to me.
- She pitched hard at the game.
- I will pitch to you next.
- He can pitch very fast.
Verb
A2
action
6
Set up tent/camp outdoors
To put up a tent outside so you can use it.
Usage pattern:
to pitch [a tent] [somewhere]
Synonyms
erect (More formal and general for putting up structures.)
Antonyms
take down (To dismantle and remove something set up.)
Collocations
pitch a tent
|pitch camp
Themes
outdoors
|travel
|daily_life
Examples
- We pitched our tent near the lake.
- They pitched camp before sunset.
- He pitched his tent under a tree for shade.
- We found a flat spot to pitch our tent.
Learner examples
- We pitched our tent in the park.
- They pitched camp by the river.
- He pitched his tent on soft ground.
- We will pitch our tent here.
Noun
technical
B2
quantity
7
Angle of slope of surface
How steep something is, like a roof or road.
Synonyms
slope (General term for an inclined surface; 'pitch' is more technical.)
Antonyms
levelness (State of being flat and without slope.)
Collocations
steep pitch
Themes
engineering
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The roof has a steep pitch for snow runoff.
- Adjust the sailboat's pitch for better balance.
- Engineers measured the road's pitch carefully.
Learner examples
- The roof has a steep pitch.
- We checked the road's pitch.
- The ship's pitch made walking hard.
Grammar
Dictionary form
pitch
IPA
GB/pˈɪt͡ʃ/
US/pˈɪt͡ʃ/
Syllables & stress
pitch (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (pitch)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: pitch
- Plural: pitch, pitches
Verb
- Base: pitch
- 3rd Person Singular: pitches
- Present Participle: pitching
- Past: pitched
Word family
Forms
pitches
noun
pitching
verb
pitched
verb
Core family
pitcher
noun A2
Expressions
make one's pitch
1/mˈeɪk wˈʌnz pˈɪt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
Present proposal to persuade someone
To talk about your idea so someone will agree with it or buy it.
Examples
- He made his pitch for more funding during the meeting.
- It's your turn to make your pitch to the judges.
on the pitch
1/ˈɔn ðə pˈɪt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
On sports playing field during play/activity/gameplay
'On the playing field' for sports like football or rugby during play/activity/gameplay .
Examples
- There are eleven players on the pitch for each team in football (soccer).
- The injured player had to leave his position on the pitch.
perfect pitch
1/pˈɚfɛkt pˈɪt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
Ability to identify musical notes exactly
When someone can know what note they hear without help from another note.
Examples
- She has perfect pitch and can name any note instantly.
- Perfect pitch is rare among musicians.
pitch in
1/pˈɪt͡ʃ ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
informal
Join in helping with work/task
To help with work or give money for something with other people.
Examples
- If we all pitch in, we can finish early.
- Everyone pitched in to clean up after the party.
sales pitch
1/sˈeɪlz pˈɪt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
Spoken attempt to sell/convince
A talk that tries to make someone buy something or agree with an idea.
Examples
- Her sales pitch was so convincing that everyone signed up.
- The salesman gave his best sales pitch at the meeting.