pitfall

pit·fall

noun \ˈpit-ˌfȯl\

Definition of PITFALL

1

: trap, snare; specifically : a pit flimsily covered or camouflaged and used to capture and hold animals or men

2

: a hidden or not easily recognized danger or difficulty

Examples of PITFALL

1. <buying a house can be full of pitfalls for the unwary>
2. <one of the pitfalls of ignorance is that people will also assume you're stupid>

First Known Use of PITFALL

14th century

Related to PITFALL

Synonyms

booby trap, catch, catch-22, gimmick, gotcha, hitch, joker, land mine, snag

Related Words

snare, trap, trip wire, web; hazard, peril, risk; bomb, bombshell, kicker, surprise (also surprize); bait, decoy, lure

Near Antonyms

guard, protection, safeguard, shield, ward; asylum, harbor, haven, refuge, retreat, shelter

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

Rhymes with PITFALL

ALGOL, and all, Antall, appall, Argall, argol, air ball, ashfall, at all, atoll, AWOL, baseball, beach ball, beanball, befall, Bengal, best-ball, birdcall, blackball, Bokmål, bookstall, box stall, bradawl, brick wall, broomball, catcall, catchall, cell wall, COBOL, cold call, cornball, Cornwall, crown gall, cue ball, cure-all, curveball, deadfall, de Gaulle, dodgeball, downfall, downhaul, drywall, duck call, eight ball, enthrall, eyeball, fair ball, fastball, fireball, fire wall, foosball, football, footfall, footwall, forestall, forkball, foul ball, four-ball, fourth wall, free-fall, gadwall, game ball, glycol, golf ball, Goodall, goofball, googol, guildhall, hair ball, handball, hardball, headstall, heelball, highball, holdall, house call, icefall, infall, install, John Paul, jump ball, keelhaul, know-all, landfall, Landsmål, line-haul, line squall, lowball, Maillol, meatball, menthol, mess hall, miscall, mothball, Naipaul, naphthol, Nepal, nightfall, nutgall, oddball, outfall, outhaul, paintball, pinball, plimsoll, pratfall, prayer shawl, pub crawl, puffball, punchball, pushball, rainfall, rainsquall, recall, rial, Riksmål, rockfall, roll call, rorqual, Saint Paul, save-all, screwball, seawall, short-haul, shortfall, sick call, sidewall, sleazeball, slimeball, snowball, snowfall, softball, sour ball, speedball, spitball, stickball, stonewall, stone wall, stoopball, strip mall, T-ball, tea ball, tell-all, three-ball, toll call, town hall, trackball, Tyrol, Udall, Walsall, what all, whip stall, Whitehall, whitewall, windfall, windgall, withal, you-all