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The human posterior has been given a number of designations over the centuries, some not acceptable in polite company. "Prat," a slang term with only slightly indecorous overtones, has been used in reference to the backside since the 16th century. It wasn't until the 1930s, however, that falling on one's prat gave rise to the term "pratfall." The word first cropped up in the lingo of comedy theater, where a pratfall is often part of a slapstick routine. It wasn't long before we gave the word its extended sense of "blunder." Now, with "prat" rarely used as a synonym of "derriere" anymore, "pratfall" is as apt to suggest getting a pie in the face as landing bang on one's behind.
Examples of pratfall in a Sentence
Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 27 May 2026
That tension — something prosaic or silly culminating in something hilarious and transfixing — achieved what poor Vandenberg and her pratfalls could not.
—Anna Peele, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Debra Wilson, comedians who made mental pratfalls a thing.
—Hilton Als, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
And in fitting Tomlin style, Pittsburgh let a chance to wrap up the division slip away during a three-hour pratfall in the muck at Cleveland last weekend.
—CBS News, 3 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pratfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pratfall. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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pratfall
noun
