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
Related Words
See trap 1.
Etymology
Origin of pitfall
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English pittefalle, equivalent to pitte pit 1 + falle ( Old English fealle ) “trap”
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.
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
"But if we can do gene therapy that doesn't involve snipping DNA strands, then we avoid these potential pitfalls."
From Science Daily
But other, independent economic experts are much more concerned and see no shortage of potential pitfalls.
From MarketWatch
These issues may not apply in your case, but they are common pitfalls for other readers to note.
From MarketWatch
If you heed our words, you will avoid the pitfalls that ensnare many others.
From Barron's
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.
