pitfall

[pit-fawl]

See more synonyms for pitfall on Thesaurus.com

noun

a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals.
any trap or danger for the unwary: the pitfall of excessive pride.

Origin of pitfall

1275–1325; Middle English pittefalle, equivalent to pitte pit¹ + falle (Old English fealle) trap

Synonyms

See more synonyms for pitfall on Thesaurus.com

1, 2. See trap¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for pitfall

Contemporary Examples

The second pitfall is that Tendulkar has given the reader little of what should be a gripping, meaningful story of his life.
The Story of the World’s Greatest Cricket Player
William O’Connor
December 24, 2014
It points up the major pitfall of academic boycotts, a pitfall so serious as to make them counterproductive.
Sydney’s ‘Blind To The Person’ BDS
Sigal Samuel
December 12, 2012
The Israel Project's novel defense of building civilian settlements in E1, however, has many a pitfall.
A Bogus Defense Of E1 Construction
Ali Gharib
December 4, 2012
One pitfall: text contributions are capped at $10 each per message and $200 a person under FEC regulations.
Will Text-Message Contributions Save Obama’s Reelection Effort?
Miranda Green
June 22, 2012
Be on guard, especially, against co-dependence—a Libra pitfall.
The Stars Predict Your Week
Starsky + Cox
September 24, 2011

Historical Examples

He knew that somewhere a pitfall awaited him, yet hardly where.
Bardelys the Magnificent
Rafael Sabatini
She was far too subtle and wary to stumble into such a pitfall as that.
Queen Elizabeth
Jacob Abbott
Linear Logic Language, the pitfall of all the old researchers.
The K-Factor
Harry Harrison (AKA Henry Maxwell Dempsey)
“But you did not tell me where the pitfall was made,” said Mr De Vellum, the solicitor.
Hollowdell Grange
George Manville Fenn
If I walk into a pitfall, it shall not be after having seen it made.
The Hour and the Man
Harriet Martineau

British Dictionary definitions for pitfall

pitfall

noun

an unsuspected difficulty or danger
a trap in the form of a concealed pit, designed to catch men or wild animals

Word Origin

Old English pytt pit 1 + fealle trap

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

Word Origin and History for pitfall

n.

c.1300, "concealed hole," a type of animal trap, from pit (n.1) + fall (n.). Extended sense of "any hidden danger" is first recorded early 15c.

pitfall

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}pitfall

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for pitfall

Contemporary Examples

The second pitfall is that Tendulkar has given the reader little of what should be a gripping, meaningful story of his life.

It points up the major pitfall of academic boycotts, a pitfall so serious as to make them counterproductive.

The Israel Project's novel defense of building civilian settlements in E1, however, has many a pitfall.

One pitfall: text contributions are capped at $10 each per message and $200 a person under FEC regulations.

Be on guard, especially, against co-dependence—a Libra pitfall.

Historical Examples

He knew that somewhere a pitfall awaited him, yet hardly where.

She was far too subtle and wary to stumble into such a pitfall as that.

Linear Logic Language, the pitfall of all the old researchers.

“But you did not tell me where the pitfall was made,” said Mr De Vellum, the solicitor.

If I walk into a pitfall, it shall not be after having seen it made.

pitfall

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for pitfall

n.

Origin of pitfall