cliff

noun

ˈklif 

: a very steep, vertical, or overhanging face of rock, earth, or ice : precipice

cliffy

ˈkli-fē 

adjective

Synonyms of cliff

• escarpment
• palisade
• crag
• bluff

Examples of cliff in a Sentence

Standing at the edge of the cliff, we watched the waves crash on the shore far below.

rock climbers scaling steep cliffs

Recent Examples on the Web

Now 43-38, Charlotte has lost ground this week with difficult losses to Boston and Detroit that followed the same blueprint, as the Hornets fell off a cliff in the fourth quarter at the wrong time. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026

Enjoy, and see you soon… A flood of cheap copies of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug in India is already reshaping the country’s fast-growing obesity medicine market, showing how quickly the patent cliff will affect GLP-1 makers like Eli Lilly, Bloomberg News explains. —Ed Silverman, STAT, 10 Apr. 2026

Stroll leisurely to admire the wide variety of wildflowers that grow along the ledges or dare to dip below the dramatic quartz and sandstone into the narrow crevices of the cliffs. —Joie Probst, Midwest Living, 10 Apr. 2026

The funding cliff meets a tough reality The timing could hardly be worse. —William Jones, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English clif, from Old English; akin to Old High German klep cliff, Old Norse klif

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cliff

• cliff dweller
• cliff-hanger
• cliff swallow

Rhymes for cliff

• biff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• if
• riff
• schiff
• skiff
• sniff
• stiff
• tiff
• whiff

Kids Definition

cliff

noun

ˈklif 

: a high steep surface of rock, earth, or ice