What does cliff mean?

Definitions for cliff
klɪfcliff

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word cliff.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. cliff, drop, drop-offnoun

    a steep high face of rock

    "he stood on a high cliff overlooking the town"; "a steep drop"

Wiktionary

  1. cliffnoun

    A vertical (or near vertical) rock face.

  2. Cliffnoun

    A diminutive of the male given name Clifford.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Cliffnoun

    Etymology: clivus, Lat. clif, cliof, Saxon.

    The Leucadians did use to precipitate a man from a high cliff into the sea. Francis Bacon, Nat. History, №. 886.

    Mountaineers, that from Severus came,
    And from the craggy cliffs of Tetrica. John Dryden, Æn.

    Where-ever ’tis so found scattered upon the shores, there is it as constantly found lodged in the cliffs thereabouts. John Woodward.

Wikipedia

  1. Cliff

    In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually composed of rock that is resistant to weathering and erosion. The sedimentary rocks that are most likely to form cliffs include sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs. An escarpment (or scarp) is a type of cliff formed by the movement of a geologic fault, a landslide, or sometimes by rock slides or falling rocks which change the differential erosion of the rock layers. Most cliffs have some form of scree slope at their base. In arid areas or under high cliffs, they are generally exposed jumbles of fallen rock. In areas of higher moisture, a soil slope may obscure the talus. Many cliffs also feature tributary waterfalls or rock shelters. Sometimes a cliff peters out at the end of a ridge, with mushroom rocks or other types of rock columns remaining. Coastal erosion may lead to the formation of sea cliffs along a receding coastline. The Ordnance Survey distinguishes between around most cliffs (continuous line along the topper edge with projections down the face) and outcrops (continuous lines along lower edge).

ChatGPT

  1. cliff

    A cliff is a high, steep rock formation, often along a coastline or a mountainside, that has a sheer drop to the ground or body of water below. It is typically characterized by its vertical or near vertical slope. The edge of the cliff is known as the cliff top or cliff edge. Its base is where it meets the ground or water.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Cliffnoun

    a high, steep rock; a precipice

  2. Cliffnoun

    see Clef

  3. Etymology: [AS. clif, cloef; akin to OS. klif, D. klif, klip, Icel. klif, Dan. & G. klippe, Sw. klippa; perh. orig. a climbing place. See Climb.]

Wikidata

  1. Cliff

    In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually formed by rock that is resistant to erosion and weathering. Sedimentary rocks most likely to form cliffs include sandstone, limestone, chalk, and dolomite. Igneous rocks such as granite and basalt also often form cliffs. An escarpment is a type of cliff, formed by the movement of a geologic fault, or a landslide. Most cliffs have some form of scree slope at their base. In arid areas or under high cliffs, these are generally exposed jumbles of fallen rock. In areas of higher moisture, a soil slope may obscure the talus. Many cliffs also feature tributary waterfalls or rock shelters. Sometimes a cliff peters out at the end of a ridge, with tea tables or other types of rock columns remaining. Coastal erosion may lead to the formation of sea cliffs along a receding coastline. The Ordnance Survey distinguishes between cliffs and outcrops.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Cliff

    klif, n. (mus.). Same as Clef.

  2. Cliff

    klif, n. a high steep rock: the steep side of a mountain.—adjs. Cliffed, Cliff′y, having cliffs: craggy. [A.S. clif; Dut. clif; Ice. klif.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. cliff

    [from the Anglo-Saxon cleof]. A precipitous termination of the land, whatever be the soil. (See crag.)

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. CLIFF

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Cliff is ranked #12856 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Cliff surname appeared 2,395 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Cliff.

    82.3% or 1,971 total occurrences were White.
    11.1% or 268 total occurrences were Black.
    2.2% or 53 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    1.9% or 47 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    1.5% or 37 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    0.7% or 19 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Nouns Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'cliff' in Nouns Frequency: #1834

How to pronounce cliff?

How to say cliff in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of cliff in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of cliff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of cliff in a Sentence

  1. Ted Rossman:

    Long story short, we’re seeing a more cautious consumer, consumer spending certainly isn’t falling off a cliff, but we are seeing ample evidence that Americans are becoming more reluctant to make certain purchases, especially larger expenses and acquiring physical goods.

  2. Fadel Gheit:

    Oil prices played a big part, but Petrobras has itself to blame too, it's a classic case of mismanagement and government interference. Low oil prices pushed them over the cliff, but they got to the precipice themselves.

  3. Chris Murphy:

    Realistically, it's still very much an uphill effort, in part because Republicans are so spooked right now by Donald Trump and his base and the complete irrationality, almost paranoia, of that base when it comes to guns, the slippery slope becomes a cliff. If Donald Trump and his base take one step, it's like the world ends.

  4. Colton Underwood:

    I think looking back even beyond on that, even just suicidal thoughts and driving my car close to a cliff, 'Oh, if this goes off the cliff, it's not that big of a deal,' I don't feel that anymore.

  5. Ben Hayes:

    He had crossed over a metal railing to get closer to the cliff edge where he lost his footing and fell in, park officials immediately launched a search and rescue operation with the Hawaii County Fire Department and around 9 p.m. local time search and rescue located the man. He was seriously injured, perched on a narrow ledge 70 feet from the cliff edge.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

cliff#1#9036#10000

Translations for cliff

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"cliff." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/cliff>.

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