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

Experts have told Newsweek that the difficulties for both jobseekers—white and especially Black—should be viewed against the backdrop of a wider deterioration on the overall economic outlook, now on the precipice of a major downturn according to certain economists. —Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025

The fire, started by an Orange County Public Works crew working with heavy machinery in Trabuco Canyon on a hot summer day, had made its way into Riverside County and was on the precipice of destroying one of the rare remaining rural communities in the area. —Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 10 Sep. 2025

Though 28 years apart, the scenes convey two boys in love that are on the precipice of confessing — and acting on — said passion, which is very much down to Briney and DiCaprio's ability to really make their viewers swoon. —Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025

However, a surprise uniting force has begun to emerge from the rubble of the conflict, as the Sudanese national soccer team continues to defy the odds and stands on the precipice of a first-ever FIFA World Cup qualification. —Rory Fleming, CNN Money, 5 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