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 The authors also point out common pitfalls on the way to purpose and offer suggestions for how to create and sustain initiatives that deeply align with an organization’s core values. Christopher P. Blocker, joseph P. Cannon, jonathan Z. Zhang, Harvard Business Review, 6 Feb. 2025 Whereas Capcom’s action RPG is archaically and annoyingly old school, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 avoids similar pitfalls by including an easily accessible fast travel system. George Yang, Rolling Stone, 3 Feb. 2025 However, the agreement is fragile and fraught with pitfalls. Ian Pannell, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2025 Any profession requiring judgment and specialized knowledge can fall prey to the pitfalls of cognitive offloading, as a recent study demonstrates. Lars Daniel, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pitfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfall
Noun
  • One example of such work would be thinking about how to minimize the risk that pathogens caught in a hospital sink would get aerosolized and spread to patients, said Joseph Graves, Jr., an evolutionary biologist and geneticist at North Carolina A&T State University and a leader of the project.
    Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 23 Feb. 2025
  • Runoff will also increase the risk for rock and mudslides below steep terrain.
    Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Musk, in a post on X on Monday night, doubled down on his threat to fire federal employees who fail to submit the list.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 25 Feb. 2025
  • Johnson shows how police forces, irked by the anarchist threat, developed new techniques of detection and surveillance.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Models congregated outside in the smoking area, naturally, while the Burberry PR team could be spotted clinking glasses to celebrate their blockbuster show going off without a hitch.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2025
  • During showtime, the skit went off without a hitch, with Segel giving the iconic towel surprise before walking off-camera.
    Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Totally fair, given the scale of destruction in L.A. County — and the dangers posed by Trump.
    Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Simple and true, thoughtful and soulful, with just a hint of danger.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 27 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Making your favorite sweaters, sweatshirts, and coats look brand new again is possible with a fabric shaver that wipes away snags in seconds.
    Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Feb. 2025
  • The team’s historic start hit a major snag as injuries ravaged the program and forced the Horned Frogs to forfeit two Big 12 games.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pitfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitfall. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

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