cliff-hanger
noun
cliff-hang·er
ˈklif-ˌhaŋ-ər 
1
: an adventure serial or melodrama
especially
: one presented in installments each ending in suspense
2
: a contest whose outcome is in doubt up to the very end
broadly
: a suspenseful situation
Examples of cliff-hanger in a Sentence
finally, a Super Bowl game that turned out to be a real cliff-hanger
Recent Examples on the Web
Of course, that’s no surprise to anyone who has seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which, No. 1, absolutely rocks, and, No. 2 (no spoilers), ends on quite the cliff-hanger.
—
Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
Things go very, very wrong at a Valentine’s Day party, which leads to the most intense cliff-hanger of the series.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Fans have been clamoring for the new season ever since the 3rd season ended with a cliff-hanger, with emotions running high between Brunson’s Janine and Williams’ Gregory characters.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Things go very, very wrong at a Valentine’s Day party, which leads to the most intense cliff-hanger of the series.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
For Coben, showrunner Victoria Asare-Archer and the cast, the challenge was to balance those nail-biting cliff-hangers with character development and relationships that viewers could relate to.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 1 Jan. 2025
Of course, that’s no surprise to anyone who has seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which, No. 1, absolutely rocks, and, No. 2 (no spoilers), ends on quite the cliff-hanger.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
The first half of season four ended with several cliff-hangers for the Pogues, many of which should be resolved, to some degree, in the second half of the season.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
Season 2, which picks up immediately after the London car bombing that left fans on a cliff-hanger a year and a half ago, is more focused in a literal sense: The episode count has been trimmed to just six.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
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Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2025
Things go very, very wrong at a Valentine’s Day party, which leads to the most intense cliff-hanger of the series.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
Fans have been clamoring for the new season ever since the 3rd season ended with a cliff-hanger, with emotions running high between Brunson’s Janine and Williams’ Gregory characters.
—Marc Griffin, VIBE.com, 4 Oct. 2024
Things go very, very wrong at a Valentine’s Day party, which leads to the most intense cliff-hanger of the series.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025
For Coben, showrunner Victoria Asare-Archer and the cast, the challenge was to balance those nail-biting cliff-hangers with character development and relationships that viewers could relate to.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 1 Jan. 2025
Of course, that’s no surprise to anyone who has seen Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which, No. 1, absolutely rocks, and, No. 2 (no spoilers), ends on quite the cliff-hanger.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 18 Dec. 2024
The first half of season four ended with several cliff-hangers for the Pogues, many of which should be resolved, to some degree, in the second half of the season.
—Abid Rahman, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Nov. 2024
Season 2, which picks up immediately after the London car bombing that left fans on a cliff-hanger a year and a half ago, is more focused in a literal sense: The episode count has been trimmed to just six.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 30 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Cliff-hanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cliff-hanger. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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