Phrase guide

snake pit

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A pit filled with snakes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any institution (such as a school, prison, hospital, etc.) run in an inept or inhumane way, or full of hostile or treacherous people.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

pejorative terms for an insane asylum

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Bedlam, booby hatch, crazy house, cuckoo's nest, funny farm, funny house, loony bin, madhouse, nut house, nuthouse, sanatorium

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mental hospital, psychiatric hospital, mental institution, institution, mental home, insane asylum, asylum

4

noun

Meaning 4

any place of pain and turmoil;

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the hell of battle
  • the inferno of the engine room
  • when you're alone Christmas is the pits

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: hell, hell on earth, hellhole, the pits, inferno

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: region, part

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: змиярник (zmijarnik) — pit with snakes
  • Danish: ormegård — pit with snakes
  • Finnish: käärmeenpesä — pit with snakes
  • German: Schlangengrube — pit with snakes
  • Portuguese: ninho de cobra — pit with snakes
  • Swedish: ormgrop — pit with snakes
  • Tagalog: butas-ahas — pit with snakes
  • Finnish: käärmeenpesä — institution
  • French: nid de vipères — institution
  • German: Schlangengrube — institution
  • Polish: wariatkowo — institution
  • Russian: гадюшник (gadjušnik) — institution
  • Swedish: ormgrop — institution