cliffhanger

Or cliff-hang·er

[klif-hang-er]

noun

1. a melodramatic or adventure serial in which each installment ends in suspense in order to interest the reader or viewer in the next installment.

2. a single installment in such a serial.

3. a suspenseful movie, novel, etc.

4. the suspenseful ending itself.

5. a situation or contest of which the outcome is suspensefully uncertain up to the very last moment.

   The game was a cliffhanger, but our team finally won.

cliffhanger

/ ˈklɪfˌhæŋə /

noun

1. 1. a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film

   2. the serialized film itself

2. a situation that is dramatic or uncertain

Other Word Forms

• cliffhanging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cliffhanger¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

Each chapter usually features a cliffhanger or dramatic moment — whether that’s a slap or a character in danger.

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It started with a cliffhanger and ended with a cliffhanger.

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Once again, fans were left with a cliffhanger, as the Traitors weighed up whether to murder actress Ruth Codd, singer Charlotte Church, or historian David Olusoga.

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The pair added they originally thought the 2019 special would be the ending, had it not had the cliffhanger.

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Our connection cuts out and it’s almost too perfect: a Laxian cliffhanger moment in which ideas are yanked back by a rush of feeling.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• close call 
• shocker