corniche

American  

[kawr-nish, kawr-neesh] / ˈkɔr nɪʃ, kɔrˈniʃ /

noun

1. a winding road cut into the side of a steep hill or along the face of a coastal cliff.

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corniche British  

/ ˈkɔːnɪʃ /

noun

1. a coastal road, esp one built into the face of a cliff

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Etymology

Origin of corniche

1830–40; < French, by ellipsis from route de corniche, route en corniche ( corniche rock ledge < Italian; see cornice)

Example Sentences

Luna El Bizri, the owner of Luna Pharm, the store destroyed in the attack, said her pharmacy’s neighborhood of Ain al-Mraiseh along Beirut’s seaside corniche had always been a haven.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Parallel to the tramway, much of Alexandria's iconic corniche is now hidden behind overpasses, private businesses and beachside food courts.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

People joked that you could drive from a Christian coastal city at 6 p.m. and reach Beirut’s corniche at 5:30 p.m.

From Washington Post • Mar. 27, 2023

Featuring fountains, drones and fire, Balich said the corniche display will be three times as big as the fountain show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 16, 2022

Often it was she who shot away along the great corniche road in those cars of speed and beauty, their silver fittings and glossy panels humming past like some vast and costly insect.

From Command by McFee, William