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

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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

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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 If all politics is local, then all tariffs are pitfalls. Philip Elliott, Time, 7 Apr. 2025 To avoid these pitfalls, companies need to treat office redesign as a change management project—not just a facilities project. Ryan Anderson, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025 The pandemic exposed the pitfalls of American reliance on Chinese factories for an array of goods, from parts for ventilators to basic medicines. Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 However, the potential, and sometimes hilarious, pitfalls of not having the correct address were also pointed out. David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pitfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfall
Noun
  • Here are suggestions for staying safe during a thunderstorm: To lower the risk of lightning strikes, when going outdoors, develop a plan to reach a safer spot.
    NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2025
  • Rain could aid firefighting efforts and saturate dry fuels, reducing their risk of igniting in the future.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Apple plans to shift the assembly of all iPhones sold in the US to India by the end of 2026 amid the threat of the Trump administration's hefty tariffs on China, The Financial Times reports.
    Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 26 Apr. 2025
  • There is no sudden threat to your bank details or phone data or identity or anything else.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The proposal goes off without a hitch as the two boys watch on.
    Angela Andaloro, People.com, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Her feed cut out a few times during the song's first verse, then continued without a hitch through the chorus.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The commercial clean vehicle credit could be in more danger than the section 30D clean vehicle credit because of its larger size.
    Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Dominick Austin, Dania Beach Due process in grave danger You’re awakened at 3 a.m. by a banging on your front door.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 28 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In September 1856, the three-year-old, 171-foot long Steamboat Arabia, laden with over 200 tons of cargo bound for 16 frontier towns, struck a tree snag and quickly sank to the bottom of the Missouri River, just six miles west of Kansas City.
    Tammy Ljungblad, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2025
  • More than a decade later, there are still up to 300 snags — dead standing trees — per acre in some of Yosemite’s most intensely affected areas, Stephens said.
    Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

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

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