cliff

¹

[ klif ]

noun

1. a high steep face of a rock.

   Synonyms: crag, ledge, promontory, bluff

2. a critical point or situation beyond which something bad or undesirable may occur:

   The committee is right up to the cliff with no deal in sight.

Cliff

²

[ klif ]

noun

1. a male given name, form of Clifford or Clifton.

cliff

/ klɪf /

noun

1. a steep high rock face, esp one that runs along the seashore and has the strata exposed

Derived Forms

• ˈcliffy, adjective

Other Words From

• clifflike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cliff¹

before 900; Middle English clif, Old English, cognate with Dutch, Low German, Old Norse klif

Word History and Origins

Origin of cliff¹

Old English clif; related to Old Norse kleif, Middle Low German klēf, Dutch klif; see cleave ²

Example Sentences

Adults with cerebral palsy face large gaps in care when they move away from pediatrics, and it's often described as "falling off a cliff."

From Science Daily

That has led some special school principals in Northern Ireland to say that their pupils face a "cliff edge" when they leave school.

From BBC

Komal’s morning view was of jagged, forbidding mountains, the rush of the river dozens of metres below the family home on the cliff.

From BBC

For a rare, if not lucky, few days a year, Yosemite National Park’s famed El Capitan granite cliff converts into what looks like an active volcano jutting 3,000 feet above the valley floor.

From Los Angeles Times

On one side, the road falls off into a steep cliff.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bluff
• crag
• precipice
• wall