1
as in risk
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized buying a house can be full of pitfalls for the unwary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in threat
something that may cause injury or harm one of the pitfalls of ignorance is that people will also assume you're stupid

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pitfall Maze was also concerned about federal civil rights pitfalls that can come with doing immigration work, such as potential racial-profiling lawsuits. Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025 To become a popular creator is akin to striking it rich one day out of the blue, with all of the benefits but also all of the pitfalls. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 24 Sep. 2025 What pitfalls are there with AI therapy? Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 24 Sep. 2025 My go-to over the past two years, the Owala Freesip Insulated Water Bottle, has zero pitfalls in my eyes and somehow makes drinking water fun. Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pitfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfall
Noun
  • The fire risk is related to a problem with the engine starter, which can affect cars that are both parked and in motion, according to a notice from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025
  • They are designed to protect homes and businesses against the type of winter storms that have severely flooded the low-lying community of Alviso multiple times with water up to 6 feet deep and which are posing more risk as sea level rises due to climate change.
    Paul Rogers, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • At least eight Salvadoran officials who had been investigating MS-13 and corruption, including some who had worked with Vulcan agents, fled the country after threats, harassment, and searches of their homes and offices.
    T. Christian Miller, ProPublica, 30 Sep. 2025
  • But the Yates family’s lawsuit argues that both deputies and psychiatric staff knew Ruis posed a threat.
    Kelly Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • At the campaign rally, everything appears to be going off without a hitch.
    Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
  • My first story time went off without a hitch.
    Nina West September 24, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • For Moura, the echoes of Brazil’s dictatorship and the dangers of authoritarianism repeating itself, fed directly into The Secret Agent.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The greater danger is that alarmist messaging will discourage pregnant women from treating pain or fever – putting both themselves and their babies at risk.
    CNN Money, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This isn't the first time the snag of a home run ball has topped headlines this season.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Developers have yet to break ground, while people familiar with the matter in the UAE, Nairobi, and Washington catalog problems with the project, extending from grand geopolitics to quotidian financial snags.
    Alexis Akwagyiram, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pitfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitfall. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on pitfall

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!