as in cliff
a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice the castle sits atop an escarpment that for hundreds of years made it virtually invulnerable to attack

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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 escarpment With that enormous amount of moisture serving as fuel, the winds hitting the escarpment in West Texas served as a kind of match that started the storms. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 6 July 2025 The escarpment is a line of cliffs and steep hills created by a geologic fault. Hatim Sharif, The Conversation, 5 July 2025 As sunrise paints the rocks crimson only the call of baboons echoing between rocky escarpments punctuates the silence. Chloe Berge, Outside Online, 17 June 2025 The main issue was accessibility, or lack thereof, thanks to the combination of rugged mountains and a massive escarpment that cut the place off from the world. Ned Zeman, Outside, 14 Nov. 2021 See All Example Sentences for escarpment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for escarpment
Noun
  • Thousands of years ago, the 52,000-plus acres now known as Mesa Verde National Park were home to the Ancestral Pueblo People, who built a series of sophisticated stone dwellings in the cliffs here.
    Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
  • In this sequel to The Ice Road that trades Canadian ice flats for cliff-edge drop-offs and hairpin passes, Neeson’s grieving character Mike McCann heads to the Himalayas to scatter his brother’s ashes.
    Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • These shoes keep me comfortable all day, even when rock hopping and scrambling to get to the crag.
    Mary Beth Skylis, Travel + Leisure, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Access to its sandstone crags is impacted by seasonal water levels: In summer, climbers often reach the cliffs by boat and ascend right from the water; in winter, the lake gets drained.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 14 July 2025
Noun
  • The palisade walls and structural support beams that hold up the fort are made to look like wood but are constructed of concrete.
    Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 June 2025
  • But what are the other buildings impacted by palisades fires?
    Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Much of the rest of the hike was dry and traversed gentle gravel bars or smooth limestone expanses, skirting the edges of grassy bluffs and rocky cliffs.
    Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Perched atop a bluff near the Bull Run Mountains is 50 West Vineyards.
    Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Escarpment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escarpment. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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