Definitions for cliff
klɪfcliff

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. cliff, drop, drop-offnoun

   a steep high face of rock

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

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cliffnoun

   A vertical (or near vertical) rock face.

2. Cliffnoun

   A diminutive of the male given name Clifford.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Cliffnoun

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

   1. A steep rock;a rock, according to Stephen Skinner, broken and craggy.

   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.

   2. The name of a character in musick. Properly Clef.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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).

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

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.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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 TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. cliff

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

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

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

1. • Geological Formation

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

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

How to pronounce cliff?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

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. Martha Mitchell:

   Nixon bleeds people. He draws every drop of blood and then drops them from a cliff. He'll blame any person he can put his foot on.

2. Alexi Pappas:

   The cliff at the end of athletics can feel really daunting, that cliff doesn't feel like it will be a cliff for me -- I'm not so afraid of it because I know there's this career I'm growing at the same time.

3. Ronald Reagan:

   Die-hard conservatives thought that if I couldn't get everything I asked for, I should jump off the cliff with the flag flying-go down in flames. No, if I can get 70 or 80 percent of what it is I'm trying to get ... I'll take that and then continue to try to get the rest in the future.

4. Dumb & Dumber:

   Lloyd There's really nothing to worry about Mary. Statistically they say you're more likely to get killed on the way to the airport. You know, like on a head on crash or flying off a cliff or getting trapped under a gas truck That's the worst I have this cousin, well y'know, I had this cousin...

5. Quentin Tarantino:

   Could Cliff Booth beat up Bruce Lee ? Brad Pitt would not be able to beat up Bruce Lee, but Cliff Booth maybe could, if you ask me the question,' Well, who would win in a fight : Bruce Lee or Dracula ?' It's the same question. It's a fictional character. If I say Cliff Booth could beat Bruce Lee up, Cliff Booth's a fictional character, then Cliff Booth could beat Bruce Lee up.

Popularity rank by frequency of use