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
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
The Plena avoids the pitfall of many early Nikkor Z optics, which have rings that turn far too readily.
—
PCMAG, 20 Apr. 2024
With this in mind, Danda suggests parents keep their comments brief, which allows for more of a back-and-forth discussion and prevents the pitfall of the discussion from turning into a lecture.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 18 Apr. 2024
The philanthropy says its policy also avoids pitfalls of the APC business model, which has been blamed for incentivizing journals to churn out papers of limited value and supporting predatory journals that publish papers with no peer review at all.
—Byjeffrey Brainard, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024
Discernment is critical for detecting wrong answers, avoiding common pitfalls, reducing unnecessary trial and error, and optimizing each effort.
—David William Silva, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
What most view as a major pitfall for one system could be a perk for another, Greenberg argued.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 16 Apr. 2024
Union naysayers on the factory floor Within the Mercedes plant, there are workers warning about the potential pitfalls of unionization.
—Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
One valuable piece of advice Cusick left us with touches on avoiding that pitfall.
—Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
By taking a broad perspective, your organization can assess the hiring experience from start to finish, identify gaps and pitfalls and implement measures to choose the best candidates who help the business thrive.
—Robert Satterwhite, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
PCMAG, 20 Apr. 2024
With this in mind, Danda suggests parents keep their comments brief, which allows for more of a back-and-forth discussion and prevents the pitfall of the discussion from turning into a lecture.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 18 Apr. 2024
The philanthropy says its policy also avoids pitfalls of the APC business model, which has been blamed for incentivizing journals to churn out papers of limited value and supporting predatory journals that publish papers with no peer review at all.
—Byjeffrey Brainard, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024
Discernment is critical for detecting wrong answers, avoiding common pitfalls, reducing unnecessary trial and error, and optimizing each effort.
—David William Silva, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
What most view as a major pitfall for one system could be a perk for another, Greenberg argued.
—Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 16 Apr. 2024
Union naysayers on the factory floor Within the Mercedes plant, there are workers warning about the potential pitfalls of unionization.
—Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
One valuable piece of advice Cusick left us with touches on avoiding that pitfall.
—Kelsey Chapman, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2024
By taking a broad perspective, your organization can assess the hiring experience from start to finish, identify gaps and pitfalls and implement measures to choose the best candidates who help the business thrive.
—Robert Satterwhite, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pitfall.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pitfall
Cite this Entry
“Pitfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pitfall. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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