Definitions for cliff
klɪfcliff

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. cliff, drop, drop-offnoun

   a steep high face of rock

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

Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cliffnoun

   A vertical (or near vertical) rock face.

2. Cliffnoun

   A diminutive of the male given name Clifford.

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

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.]

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cliff

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

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. Katie Keim:

   And that makes the stakes a little bit higher and everybody kind of goes for it without jumping over the cliff and going too far.

2. Derek Brown:

   We'll have measures that take away the hospitality aspect of what we do. Six feet apart ? Who wants that ? Bartenders in masks and gloves ? It's hard to imagine an easy turnaround, we just don't know how it's going to go. It's like leaping off a cliff and building wings as we fall down.

3. Jeff Zients:

   We’re creating flexibility within the system … There is not a cliff here.

4. Jo Swinson:

   They put public duty first and they don't want to see a no-deal Brexit, if the House of Commons asks them to lead an emergency government to get our country out of this Brexit mess and to stop us driving off that cliff to a no deal, then yes they are prepared to do that.

5. 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.

Popularity rank by frequency of use