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

• booby trap
• catch
• catch-22
• gimmick
• gotcha
• hitch
• joker
• land mine
• 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

By focusing on building a robust and scalable business, Stripe has remained a market leader and avoided many common pitfalls of premature decision making. —Will Fan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025

Read on to go over our step-by-step guide to identifying trustworthy companies and avoiding common pitfalls. —Gabriel Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2025

Here are all the egg substitutes our experts swear by, plus where and when to use them and common pitfalls to watch out for. —Audrey Bruno, SELF, 20 Feb. 2025

Here are three common leadership pitfalls that Musk's rise calls to mind and which have felled countless leaders and mass movements through history. —Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025

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