Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most common hypertensive disorders and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for pregnant women and perinatal babies. Additionally, pleckstrin homology‐like domain family A member 2 (PHLDA2) is associated with placental dysfunction. However, the effect of PHLDA2 on trophoblast cell proliferation, migration and invasion has not been investigated. In this study, 15 PE patients and 15 normal pregnant women were recruited and clinical characteristics were summarized. Pleckstrin homology‐like domain family A member 2 levels in placental tissues were examined using real‐time PCR and western blot. Overexpression plasmid and PHLDA2 siRNA was introduced into JEG‐3 cells, respectively. Cell proliferation was measured using MTT assay and flow cytometry. Cell migration and invasion capacities were assessed by wound healing and Transwell assays. It was found that PE patients collectively presented proteinuria, elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and lower gestational ages and birth weights. Pleckstrin homology‐like domain family A member 2 levels in the preeclamptic placenta were significantly upregulated. Pleckstrin homology‐like domain family A member 2 overexpression significantly arrested cells in the G0/G1 phase, inhibited cell proliferation and suppressed the migration and invasion of JEG‐3 cells. Pleckstrin homology‐like domain family A member 2 knockdown significantly blocked the cells in the S phase of the cell cycle. Knockdown of PHLDA2 alleviated the inhibition on the migration and invasion of trophoblast cells JEG‐3. These findings illustrate that PHLDA2 may participate in PE pathogenesis and indicate its potential application in the early diagnosis of PE.