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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 This park is all escarpments, rivers, and old forests. Daniel Scheffler, Forbes.com, 12 Sep. 2025 On the eastern side of the escarpment near Noto Canyon is a deposit of sediment reaching up to 800 meters thick. Elizabeth Fernandez, Big Think, 4 Sep. 2025 The escarpment is a line of cliffs and steep hills created by a geologic fault, Sharif said. Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 6 July 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
  • Construction fell off a cliff after the housing bubble burst over a decade ago and never really recovered.
    Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
  • In Zumaia, Ermita de San Telmo, an iconic stop on the Camino de Santiago, is a 16th-century church perched on the rocky Flysch cliffs made famous in Game of Thrones.
    Michelle Arellano Martin, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 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
  • Like one icicle falling from an alpine crag onto an unstable snow cornice below, a small slide rapidly turns into a thundering avalanche.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
  • In the decades that followed, outdoor climbing was effectively reserved for those with ready access to crags and gear, who had ample time and energy to burn.
    Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • After several major storms led to erosion, those seats have been moved up to a little bluff, just in front of the two pools (thankfully, the beautiful view remains the same).
    Jacqui Gifford, Travel + Leisure, 31 Oct. 2025
  • The 30-acre property sits on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.
    Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Escarpment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/escarpment. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.

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