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
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Recent Examples of cliff-hanger
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliff-hanger
Noun
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The Premise The period thriller takes place over one hog-wild, then harrowing day and night in October 1932, as the Smokestack twins — Smoke and Stack, played by Michael B. Jordan — return to their hometown in the Mississippi Delta to open a juke joint.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
19 Apr. 2025
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Warner Bros has just set plans to revamp ‘The Bodyguard,’ the 1992 romantic drama thriller that teamed superstars Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cliff-hanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliff-hanger. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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