pratfall

[ prat-fawl ]

See synonyms for pratfall on Thesaurus.com

noun

a fall in which one lands on the buttocks, often regarded as comical or humiliating.
a humiliating blunder or defeat.

Origin of pratfall

First recorded in 1935–40; prat + fall

Words Nearby pratfall

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pratfall in a sentence

Amateur video started turning up online showing Phoenix on his hip-hop tour, doing a pratfall off the stage at one appearance.
Joaquin Phoenix's Great Practical Joke | Gina Piccalo | August 22, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for pratfall

pratfall

/ (ˈprætˌfɔːl) /

noun

US and Canadian slang a fall upon one's buttocks

Origin of pratfall

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

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