pitfall
Americannoun
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a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals.
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any trap or danger for the unwary.
the pitfall of excessive pride.
noun
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an unsuspected difficulty or danger
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a trap in the form of a concealed pit, designed to catch men or wild animals
Synonym Usage
See trap 1.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pitfall
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English pittefalle, equivalent to pitte pit 1 + falle ( Old English fealle ) “trap”
Explanation
A pitfall is a trap or difficulty you didn't see. A possible pitfall for high school seniors is not working hard after they know they've already been accepted into college. In 1300, pitfall referred to an animal trap, such as branches laid across a deep hole offering no escape. Since the 1580s, pitfall has come to describe any hidden or unexpected difficulty, and its meaning has expanded to apply to humans. You might encounter a pitfall when trying to use a brand new computer program that's unexpectedly precise. It can even be a habit you don't want to address, like the pitfalls of snacking in front of the television every night.
Vocabulary lists containing pitfall
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 4
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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The Scoop on Net Neutrality
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Another pitfall of AI is that it often aims to replace human effort, effectively becoming a crutch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026
Another, hopefully easier, pitfall to avoid: It’s hard to live in a home for any length of time without growing emotionally attached to it.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 12, 2026
It’s perhaps no surprise that when identifying a possible pitfall for the AI trade, the finger is pointed at ChatGPT developer OpenAI.
From Barron's ● Jan. 5, 2026
But for passionate fans of this brittle candy, there's one pitfall.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025
This was the pitfall Francie had been told to watch against.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
At Youth Unity, I also meet 15-year-old Zipporah, who is verbally sparring with other girls in this week's debating session about the benefits and pitfalls of social media.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
We’re only starting to grasp the pitfalls of using AI at work.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
That brings us to the general pitfalls of IPOs for ordinary investors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
However, with his nuanced unraveling of sometimes dauntingly tangled ideas and his always crisp prose he avoids the pitfalls of oversimplification and excessive detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
She did not like the look of the ground—too many pitfalls and boiling pots and steamy depths that might cook her alive.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
