pratfall

[ prat-fawl ]
See synonyms for pratfall on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a fall in which one lands on the buttocks, often regarded as comical or humiliating.

  2. a humiliating blunder or defeat.

Origin of pratfall

1
First recorded in 1935–40; prat + fall

Words Nearby pratfall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pratfall in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pratfall

pratfall

/ (ˈprætˌfɔːl) /


noun
  1. US and Canadian slang a fall upon one's buttocks

Origin of pratfall

1
C20: from C16 prat buttocks (of unknown origin) + fall

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012