1
as in risk
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
buying a house can be full of pitfalls for the unwary
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in threat
something that may cause injury or harm
one of the pitfalls of ignorance is that people will also assume you're stupid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pitfall
Mitigating Cyber Business Risks In 2025 And Beyond Being aware of these pitfalls and understanding the basic steps businesses should take to avoid them is the first step to building resilience to cyber threats.
—
Bernard Marr, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
But Patel reckons movie and TV studios also need to be aware of potential pitfalls.
—Clifford Coonan, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025
Hiring veterans with clearances in place allows companies to fast-track onboarding and avoid compliance pitfalls.
—Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Another common pitfall is using dessert as a bribe.
—Sherri Gordon, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pitfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfall
Noun
-
Regardless of the veracity of the cable-cutter reports, Chinese technological advances that can be used for military purposes pose inherent risks.—
-
Participants’ risk of insomnia went up by 59% for each additional hour of screen time in bed, too.2 Is One Screen Activity Worse For Your Sleep Than Others?—
Noun
-
With no British troops on hand, Dunmore saw this threat as his only option to avert violence.—
-
Perrin strategizes against White Cloak threats to Two Rivers.—
Noun
-
The Board of Rites is tasked with making sure the ceremonies performed by the imperial nobles go off without a hitch, and its members have been dying throughout the series.—
-
All crowdfunding campaigns have an element of risk, but assuming this project goes without a hitch, shipping for backers is estimated to start from July.—
Noun
-
The couple shared their shocking experience in a now-viral TikTok video, warning others about the dangers of unsafe food handling.—
-
Gut contents and other fossil evidence make clear that Mammut was only a danger to plants, however, and went extinct along with many other forms of megafauna around 11,000 years ago.—
Noun
-
At varying points, Ukraine adopted parts of NATO warfighting strategy, only to run into snags or revert to the more familiar, Soviet-style tactics.—
-
Yes, and: The budget, property tax relief and health care costs — all priority issues heading into session — are hitting snags that likely won't get worked out this week.—
Cite this Entry
“Pitfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitfall. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share