as in thriller
something (as a close contest) that induces much suspense as to its outcome
finally, a Super Bowl game that turned out to be a real cliff-hanger
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cliff-hanger
And many have speculated that Netflix’s vast trove of data informs certain narrative habits on its shows (cliff-hangers to encourage bingeing, for example, and frequent restating of plot points to engage viewers distracted by their phones).
—
Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Nonesuch ends not with a cliff-hanger, exactly, but with a transformation that necessitates a follow-up.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
The latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
That film ended on a massive cliff-hanger, meaning a lot of people have been waiting to see what happens after Peter Parker makes the difficult decision to erase his identity from the world.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
The show remains compulsively watchable; each episode ends on a cliff-hanger.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
Angus Cloud, who played drug dealer Fezco, died after season two; the second season ended on a major cliff-hanger involving his character.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
For now, Mars keeps its secrets, and Bright Angel stays a cliff-hanger.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Which means there are some major cliff-hangers to obsess over for the next few weeks.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2026
Nonesuch ends not with a cliff-hanger, exactly, but with a transformation that necessitates a follow-up.
—Literary Hub, 12 Mar. 2026
The latest cliff-hanger, which saw Netflix ceding the bidding war to Paramount late Thursday, had Hollywood and the media worlds agog.
—Rebecca Keegan, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
That film ended on a massive cliff-hanger, meaning a lot of people have been waiting to see what happens after Peter Parker makes the difficult decision to erase his identity from the world.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Jan. 2026
The show remains compulsively watchable; each episode ends on a cliff-hanger.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
Angus Cloud, who played drug dealer Fezco, died after season two; the second season ended on a major cliff-hanger involving his character.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
For now, Mars keeps its secrets, and Bright Angel stays a cliff-hanger.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Which means there are some major cliff-hangers to obsess over for the next few weeks.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliff-hanger
thriller
Noun
-
Beef does something similar, translating immigrant frustration into the visual vocabulary of an American thriller, animated by distinctly Korean notions of family honor, shame, resentment and parental pressure.—
Dan Bilefsky,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Their last win away from home came on May 2 versus Washington Spirit in a 4-3 thriller.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cliff-hanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliff-hanger. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
