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
Recent Examples on the Web
Season 2 ended with a dramatic cliff-hanger as the show grapples with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, trying to play some of the real life fears and tensions from March 2020.
—
Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 26 Aug. 2023
There’s so much that needs to be answered after last season’s numerous cliff-hangers.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 16 July 2023
After the fifth episode left viewers with a major cliff-hanger, episode six kicked off with a quick resolution: Bryan and Sarah Baeumler revealed that Kelsey and Ryan of Team Taniya won the $3,000 prize for the exterior renovation.
—Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 10 July 2023
The first season of Shrinking ends with a literal cliff-hanger.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2023
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.
—Vulture, 5 June 2023
Their journey is the heart of 1923, and season 1 ends on a truly heart-wrenching cliff-hanger for the couple.
—Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 16 Apr. 2023
Many of those shows remained indebted to radio, to two-dimensional melodrama, to clichés and cliff-hangers, with characters who resembled nobody who existed in real life.
—Andrew O’Hagan, The New York Review of Books, 2 Mar. 2023
The series ended on a cliff-hanger for the Gamache character (Molina), whose life was on the line as his team raced to find him.
—Amber Dowling, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
See More
Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 26 Aug. 2023
There’s so much that needs to be answered after last season’s numerous cliff-hangers.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 16 July 2023
After the fifth episode left viewers with a major cliff-hanger, episode six kicked off with a quick resolution: Bryan and Sarah Baeumler revealed that Kelsey and Ryan of Team Taniya won the $3,000 prize for the exterior renovation.
—Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 10 July 2023
The first season of Shrinking ends with a literal cliff-hanger.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 June 2023
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.
—Vulture, 5 June 2023
Their journey is the heart of 1923, and season 1 ends on a truly heart-wrenching cliff-hanger for the couple.
—Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 16 Apr. 2023
Many of those shows remained indebted to radio, to two-dimensional melodrama, to clichés and cliff-hangers, with characters who resembled nobody who existed in real life.
—Andrew O’Hagan, The New York Review of Books, 2 Mar. 2023
The series ended on a cliff-hanger for the Gamache character (Molina), whose life was on the line as his team raced to find him.
—Amber Dowling, Variety, 13 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cliff-hanger.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
circa 1931, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Articles Related to cliff-hanger
Dictionary Entries Near cliff-hanger
Cite this Entry
“Cliff-hanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cliff-hanger. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on cliff-hanger
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cliff-hanger
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