precipice

noun

prec·​i·​pice ˈpre-s(ə-)pəs 

1

: a very steep or overhanging place

2

: a hazardous situation

broadly : brink

Synonyms

• cliff
• escarpment

Examples of precipice in a Sentence

Twenty years ago, it seemed unlikely that black and white South Africans could avoid a cataclysmic struggle. How did we manage to turn back from the precipice and join one another in the long walk to a nonracial democracy? —F. W. De Klerk, Time, 18 Apr. 2005

These are the brave, friendly guys and gals who flip, twist, spin and somersault themselves backward into the sky and somehow land on a horrifyingly steep precipice without rearranging their rib cages or breaking their faces. —Curry Kirkpatrick, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 1994

… the helpless Cambodians were bused from the safety of a refugee camp to an outcropping along the border several hundred miles to the northeast, where they were forced over the precipice into a wild and inaccessible part of Cambodia from which it would be almost impossible to return to Thailand. —Barbara Crossette, New York Times Book Review, 2 Aug. 1987

He stood on the edge of the precipice.

scaled the steep precipice with the ease of an experienced climber

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the film, set in 1952, follows the fictional Marty Mauser, grinding it in New York’s table tennis scene and on the precipice of a major break. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025

The reason stars like these are important, however, is because humanity is on the precipice of designing, building, and operating our first telescopes that will be capable of measuring the light from Earth-sized worlds at Earth-like distances around (roughly) Sun-like stars. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025

Mo Thenell put the Eagles on the precipice of tying the game with a 13-yard TD run, but Monroe and While Adame applied pressure on the extra point to secure the win for the Rebels (2-3). —Matt Schubert, Denver Post, 26 Sep. 2025

The Caribs encamped on the summit of a steep cliff surrounded by high precipices, which could only be climbed by a narrow secret pathway. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Middle French, from Latin praecipitium, from praecipit-, praeceps headlong, from prae- + caput head — more at head

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing precipice

• on the edge of a precipice

Kids Definition

precipice

noun

prec·​i·​pice ˈpres-(ə-)pəs 

: a very steep and high face of a rock or mountain