cliffhanger
or cliff-hang·er
[ klif-hang-er ]
/ ˈklɪfˌhæŋ ər /
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
Nearby words
cliff brake, cliff dweller, cliff swallow, cliff-hang, cliff-hanging, cliffhanger, clifford, clifford trust, cliffs notes, cliffside park, cliffy
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
- 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
cliffhanging, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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