cliffhanger
or cliff-hang·er
a melodramatic or adventure serial in which each installment ends in suspense in order to interest the reader or viewer in the next installment.
a single installment in such a serial.
a suspenseful movie, novel, etc.
the suspenseful ending itself.
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.
Origin of cliffhanger
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for cliffhanger
/ (ˈklɪfˌhæŋə) /
a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film
the serialized film itself
a situation that is dramatic or uncertain
Derived forms of cliffhanger
- cliffhanging, adjective
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
Browse