pitfall

noun

pit·​fall ˈpit-ˌfȯl 

1

: trap entry 1, snare

specifically : a pit flimsily covered or camouflaged and used to capture and hold animals or people

2

: a hidden or not easily recognized danger or difficulty

Synonyms of pitfall

• risk
• hitch
• snag

Examples of pitfall in a Sentence

buying a house can be full of pitfalls for the unwary

one of the pitfalls of ignorance is that people will also assume you're stupid

Recent Examples on the Web

Lenat’s team was wary of the pitfalls of vesting their machine with human attributes. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026

Beware of some early-shopping pitfalls To make sure that buying gifts long before the holidays occur is a wise move, early shoppers should read vendors’ fine print and research their return policies. — James Malm, The Conversation, 2 Nov. 2026

Amazon has already grappled with the pitfalls of encouraging AI use for its own sake. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2026

That doesn’t mean, however, that the show’s creator and stars have been able to avoid the same pitfalls as their characters. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pitfall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

pitfall

noun

pit·​fall ˈpit-ˌfȯl 

1

: trap entry 1 sense 1, snare

especially : a covered or camouflaged pit used to capture animals or people

2

: a danger or difficulty that is hidden or is not easily recognized