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cliff

[ klif ]
/ klɪf /
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noun
a high steep face of a rock.
a critical point or situation beyond which something bad or undesirable may occur: The committee is right up to the cliff with no deal in sight.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of cliff

before 900; Middle English clif,Old English, cognate with Dutch, Low German, Old Norse klif

OTHER WORDS FROM cliff

clifflike, adjective

Other definitions for cliff (2 of 2)

Cliff
[ klif ]
/ klɪf /

noun
a male given name, form of Clifford or Clifton.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cliff in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cliff

cliff
/ (klɪf) /

noun
a steep high rock face, esp one that runs along the seashore and has the strata exposed

Derived forms of cliff

cliffy, adjective

Word Origin for cliff

Old English clif; related to Old Norse kleif, Middle Low German klēf, Dutch klif; see cleave ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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