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
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
Whether banger or ballad, her tracks make room for characters, settings, twists, a tidy ending, a cliff-hanger.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The biggest key to the success of minidramas, though, is the cliff-hangers, which push viewers to keep paying for the next episode.
—Yixuan Tan, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2025
Which means there are some major cliff-hangers to obsess over for the next few weeks.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
All the elements are there, complete with potential cliff-hanger endings for each episode.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Last week's show ended on a cliff-hanger, as the result of the latest banishment ceremony was unknown going into the season finale.
—David Wysong, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
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
Whether banger or ballad, her tracks make room for characters, settings, twists, a tidy ending, a cliff-hanger.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
The biggest key to the success of minidramas, though, is the cliff-hangers, which push viewers to keep paying for the next episode.
—Yixuan Tan, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2025
Which means there are some major cliff-hangers to obsess over for the next few weeks.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 11 Aug. 2025
All the elements are there, complete with potential cliff-hanger endings for each episode.
—Newsweek Staff, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Last week's show ended on a cliff-hanger, as the result of the latest banishment ceremony was unknown going into the season finale.
—David Wysong, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cliff-hanger
thriller
Noun
-
The climactic sequence set aboard a military aircraft, with Ben facing off against the Hunters, would have been simpler in a Bruce Willis thriller, and more satisfying.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Nov. 2025
-
German actor-writer-director Til Schweiger and Splitsville star Charlie Gillespie have jumped on board Contra, an underground chess thriller.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cliff-hanger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cliff-hanger. Accessed 14 Nov. 2025.
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