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.
I understand the pitfalls of forced treatment, having been on a 20-year journey with someone who initially resisted help and objected to medication.
From Los Angeles Times
The summit -- attended by tens of thousands including top tech CEOs -- was the fourth annual global meeting to discuss the promises and pitfalls of AI, and the first hosted by a developing country.
From Barron's
She was speaking in an interview at the AI Impact Summit, where dozens of governments are expected to lay out a shared vision on how to handle the promises and pitfalls of generative AI.
From Barron's
Another potential pitfall is a dispute over the construction of a flight of steps and a square as the main entrance to the facade of Glory, which would entail destroying blocks of adjacent homes.
From Barron's
But there are pitfalls beyond the obvious problem that small investors may not know what they are doing.
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.
