1. a fall in which one lands on the buttocks
Usage: comedy; physical humor
2. an embarrassing mistake or failure
Usage: figurative

Examples

• The comedian’s pratfall on the banana peel got huge laughs from the audience.
• She slipped on the ice and took a pratfall right in front of the school.
• The politician’s latest pratfall cost him support in the polls.
• His attempt to impress his boss turned into a major pratfall.
• The clown’s exaggerated pratfall was the highlight of the circus act.
• The company’s marketing pratfall became a case study in business school.