pitfall

pit·fall

P p

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [pit-fawl]
- /ˈpɪtˌfɔl/
- /ˈpɪt.fɔːl/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [pit-fawl]
- /ˈpɪtˌfɔl/

Definitions of pitfall word

noun pitfall a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals. 1
noun pitfall any trap or danger for the unwary: the pitfall of excessive pride. 1
noun pitfall unforeseen obstacle 1
noun pitfall trap: covered hole 1
countable noun pitfall The pitfalls involved in a particular activity or situation are the things that may go wrong or may cause problems. 0
noun pitfall an unsuspected difficulty or danger 0

See all 9 definitions of pitfall

Information block about the term

Origin of pitfall

First appearance:

before 1275

One of the 13% oldest English words

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

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Pitfall

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Pitfall

pitfall popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 74% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

pitfall usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for pitfall

noun pitfall

ambush — If a group of people ambush their enemies, they attack them after hiding and waiting for them.
ambushment — an act or instance of lying concealed so as to attack by surprise: The highwaymen waited in ambush near the road.
backstabber — someone who attacks another deceitfully, behind his or her back
booby-trap — A booby-trap is something such as a bomb which is hidden or disguised and which causes death or injury when it is touched.
danger — Danger is the possibility that someone may be harmed or killed.

All 15 Synonyms of pitfall