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definitions

cliffhanger

or cliff-hang·er

[ klif-hang-er ]
/ ˈklɪfˌhæŋ ər /
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noun

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.

RELATED WORDS

shocker, thriller, squeaker, spine-chiller

Nearby words

  1. cliff dwellers,
  2. cliff swallow,
  3. cliff-hang,
  4. cliff-hanger,
  5. cliff-hanging,
  6. clifford,
  7. clifford trust,
  8. clifford, clark mcadams,
  9. cliffs notes,
  10. cliffside park

Origin of cliffhanger

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cliffhanger

British Dictionary definitions for cliffhanger

cliffhanger

/ (ˈklɪfˌhæŋə) /

noun

  1. a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film
  2. the serialized film itself
a situation that is dramatic or uncertain
Derived Formscliffhanging, 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