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Synonyms

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

"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

EV sales, though, were about to fall off a cliff.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

England's threat, without Kane, falls off a cliff.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

If you look at the trend line, the U.S. one has gone off a cliff faster than those other four.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

But does this carry any meaning for any real people, and will it be enough to stop us from pushing ourselves off the cliff?

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

And as we stood at the door, a man came along the cliff road.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.