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. Ben Zaranko:

    In terms of the system performance, it feels like we’re past the tipping point, the NHS has been gradually deteriorating in The NHS performance for some time. But we’ve gone off a cliff in recent months.

  2. Harry Kent:

    We’ve had a climbing and outdoor school for 28 years, no other business or guide service was offering cliff camping to the public. I thought it would be an exciting bucket-list adventure for people.

  3. Louise Goudy Willmering:

    If The Fed overshoots on rate hikes The Fed would be a longer term problem for the economy, but if The Fed isn't too aggressive, we still can have growth. The economy doesn't have to fall off the side of a cliff.

  4. Ilya Bobrovskiy:

    I took a helicopter to reach this very remote part of the world -- home to bears and mosquitoes -- where I could find Dickinsonia fossils with organic matter still intact, i had to hang over the edge of a cliff on ropes and dig out huge blocks of sandstone, throw them down, wash the sandstone and repeat this process until I found the fossils I was after.

  5. Phil Lesh & Friends:

    I am very fortunate to have the pathology reports show that the tumors are all non-aggressive, and that there is no indication that they have spread, so thanks to my local doctor Cliff Sewell and the incredible team at the Mayo Clinic, all is well and I can return to normal activities in two weeks from my surgery.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

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Translations for cliff

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"cliff." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/cliff>.

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