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)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

corniche

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

"It's like the sea. We used to go for long scenic drives on the corniche, but now we're losing both the sea and the tram," Abdelwahab said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 25, 2026

The corniche - which was at the heart of night life where friends and lovers used to meet - is no longer as bustling as it used to be.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2023

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

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 William McFee

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