cliff

¹ American  

[klif] / klɪf /

noun

1. a high steep face of a rock.

   Synonyms:

   crag, ledge, promontory, bluff

2. 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.

---

Cliff ² American  

[klif] / klɪf /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Clifford or Clifton.

---

cliff British  

/ klɪf /

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

• clifflike adjective
• cliffy adjective

Etymology

Origin of cliff

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

Example Sentences

OpenAI shortened its “vesting cliff” for new employees, a shift in compensation policy that’s meant to help retain new hires from leaving in the midst of a fierce talent war.

From The Wall Street Journal

The company also expects to take a $1.5 billion revenue hit from losing exclusivity over certain products—part of a so-called patient cliff Wall Street has anticipated for years.

From Barron's

Tech companies typically have a one-year vesting cliff for new employees, preventing them from having to give away stock to hires who leave quickly or don’t work out.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Oil demand is not going to fall off a cliff but it is no longer growing as it was. We see it as subdued and will start falling in the late 2030s," he says.

From BBC

Investors tend to be very negative about it because they always see patent cliffs.

From Barron's

Related Words

• bluff
• crag
• precipice
• wall