cliffhanger

American  

[klif-hang-er] / ˈklɪfˌhæŋ ər /

Or cliff-hanger

noun

• cliffhangers
  plural

1. a melodramatic or adventure serial in which each installment ends in suspense in order to interest the reader or viewer in the next installment.

2. a single installment in such a serial.

3. a suspenseful movie, novel, etc.

4. the suspenseful ending itself.

5. 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.

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cliffhanger British  

/ ˈklɪfˌhæŋə /

noun

1. 1. a situation of imminent disaster usually occurring at the end of each episode of a serialized film

   2. the serialized film itself

2. a situation that is dramatic or uncertain

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cliffhanging
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cliffhangers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cliffhanger

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Explanation

A cliffhanger is a plot device in a book, movie, or TV show that leaves the audience in suspense at the end of a scene or episode. If your favorite show ends its season with a cliffhanger, you'll have to wait months to find out what happens next. The key to a good cliffhanger is a character in some precarious position — this keeps the plot exciting, and it also ensures that the audience will return to see how dilemmas are resolved. In the case of a book, a cliffhanger keeps you turning the pages. The use of cliffhangers goes back to Homer's "Odyssey," though the word itself dates from 1937, from serial movies that would sometimes literally leave characters dangling from a cliff at the end.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cliffhanger cliffhangers

That will be followed by the cliffhanger of whether Meghan appears later in the week - and whether the King will meet his grandchildren.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

A solid, by-the-numbers, character-driven yarn, “Detour” ends on a cliffhanger because it’s the start of a series.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026

The police body cam footage of her arrest serves as the “Mormon Wives” premiere’s cliffhanger.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

There are some threads left loose along the way, to be tied up, or not, and a mysterious cliffhanger to be climbed back from, in the already scheduled second season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

Meeting Mamou—really meeting her, I mean—but not Babou felt wrong, like ending an episode on a cliffhanger.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Fun at times, ridiculous at others, the show ended with multiple cliffhangers, so pulling the plug seems especially painful.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

Zuiker, the “CSI” creator, said the challenge of writing a microdrama is coming up with a full story held together with cliffhangers to keep people glued.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

To build out an eight-episode series, Schur and the writers played up the theft at the retirement home to create more room for clues, cliffhangers and the PI character, played by Lilah Richcreek Estrada.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2024

“There was a strong emphasis on cliffhangers in manga before One Piece,” he continues.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2024

"TNG" and "Deep Space Nine" were syndicated series, and in the age of scripted syndication, cliffhangers were insurance beckoning a wandering audience to return.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2023

Related Words

• close call
• shocker