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

As African industry professionals convened at this year’s Durban FilmMart, both the potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence were high on the agenda. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026

To avoid the pitfalls of apps like Tinder and Hinge—where women are vastly outnumbered by men and are therefore overwhelmed by choice while men receive very few matches—FirstDate uses a Nobel Prize-winning matching theory algorithm. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Hastert was aware of the personal pitfalls of holding the powerful position. — Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026

Wikimedia, however, believes that accepting the pitfalls isn’t enough and that OpenAI must monitor and prevent these security incidents. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 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