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

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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

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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 In falling victim to the exact pitfall that the pods were designed to avoid, Sara displayed a glaring lack of understanding of the experiment at its core. Anusha Praturu, Vulture, 7 Mar. 2025 Are there measures in place to avoid the pitfalls of overtourism that occur in other destinations? Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 27 Feb. 2025 And while there are plenty of possible pitfalls on the path back to the top—no one should bet the rent backing Green’s proclamation—the new evidence suggests that the Warriors have a fighting chance at making the Saginaw Soothsayer right again. Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025 Energy companies would need to weigh access to troves of oil and natural gas against potential pitfalls, including reputational damage from taking part in an industry that has financially sustained a government waging war against its neighbor. Stanley Reed, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pitfall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pitfall
Noun
  • The Rise Of SaaS And IIoT Rising costs, including both supplies and labor, along with the constant risk of supply chain disruptions pressure manufacturers to improve efficiency and resilience.
    Ed Garibian, Forbes, 7 Mar. 2025
  • As Givenchy found out the hard way, product reformulation is a risk—especially for something the brand is known for.
    Lindy Segal, Glamour, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • As the threat of bird flu mounts—the virus is tearing through farms and mutating in ways that increasingly threaten human health—the country’s response has been woefully inadequate.
    Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The swirling snows that plagued Montana in last week’s 1923 have cleared by the time Episode 3 gets underway, but that doesn’t mean that the threat has passed for the Duttons and their extended circle.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 9 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • A little more than four hours in the air without a hitch.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
  • The Ritz-Carlton spans 144 acres of property and went through its own massive renovation in 2021 ensuring that fan favorite events from poolside parties to the Grand Finale Dinner at Michelin starred Blue by Eric Ripert and more could continue without a hitch.
    Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • North Texas will deal with storms and fire danger this week.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Mar. 2025
  • That suit eventually reached the Supreme Court in the form of Massachusetts v. EPA, which led to a ruling in 2007 determining that the Clean Air Act required the EPA perform an analysis of the dangers posed by greenhouse gasses.
    John Timmer, Ars Technica, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • After that, everything basically fell into place, apart from one big snag: The rear fan was too close to the motherboard tray to slide our motherboard over the case’s standoffs without scraping; the I/O connectors' top cover got in the way.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Barring those snags, at this price, the Razr 2024 is a good way to test the folding-phone waters without breaking the bank.
    Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2025

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“Pitfall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pitfall. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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