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cliff
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
cliff
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a coast/coastal/cliff path
▪ From the cliff path, you get superb views out to sea.
cliff top/mountaintop/hilltop/treetop
▪ We could just see the white cliff tops in the distance.
vertical cliff/climb/drop etc (=one that is very high or steep)
▪ a gorge lined with vertical cliffs
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
dramatic
▪ Standing on these dramatic cliffs, the legends of the area seem quite plausible.
high
▪ The coastguard duties included patrolling paths at the top of high and sheer cliffs - not a job for the faint-hearted.
▪ The researchers were steering the tiny sub along sheer, high cliffs, the ridges that fence in the central ridge valley.
▪ You're standing on a high cliff, chopped off and adumbrated by the heaving green of the sea.
▪ Selvagem Grande is a plateau from which 100m high cliffs plunge into the sea.
▪ It is close to high cliffs where leopards live and it is surrounded by trees, which make cattle-ambush easy.
▪ From its central position perched high on the cliffs, it offers a breathtaking view across the Bay of Naples.
▪ It speaks to me, his coat, of high cliffs and low pavement and black December skies.
▪ She was high on the cliff, here, and the ledge was close to the darkening sky.
low
▪ And the low cliffs, covered in gum trees, were a pleasure to behold.
▪ Beyond the pine, and a little lower on the cliff, a dozen or so bushes grew from a wide fissure.
▪ The road, which was narrow, was separated from a low cliff by a stretch of rough grass.
▪ The track doesn't go on to the shore, but goes along the top of some low cliffs above the beach.
▪ The low cliffs were the key to the puzzle: we had been searching too far north.
rocky
▪ High rocky cliffs pitted with little sandy coves melt away into long stretches of silvery beach.
▪ Souls straight out of Hieronymus Bosch tumble down rocky cliffs to their doom.
▪ Seapinks and samphire grow on the rocky cliffs.
▪ Not a waterside bird, frequenting dry country and nesting on rocky cliffs and stream banks, sometimes on ruined buildings.
▪ All around rolled wild heather-moors, overhung by rocky cliffs.
▪ It was perched on a rocky cliff overlooking a stone path to the sea some 40 feet below.
▪ This Grade 2 Listed Building is set in a rocky cliff face pointing out to sea a little way along the foreshore.
sheer
▪ The coastguard duties included patrolling paths at the top of high and sheer cliffs - not a job for the faint-hearted.
▪ The fourth side of the clearing was sheer cliff drop, attended by a barrier of split rails.
▪ Teetering on the sheer cliff, Tallis peered down at the river.
▪ But the top of Kino Peak is guarded by sheer cliffs on all sides.
▪ It is a sheer basalt rock cliff on which thousands of razor bills, guillemots, kittiwakes, shags and fulmars nest.
▪ Behind the narrow sandy beach stands a sheer cliff of coral rock, seventy feet high.
▪ Walls of red brick rose up on his left like sheer cliffs.
▪ He'd mounted, turned the animal in a circle, gazing up at the sheer, wet cliffs.
steep
▪ Finally the sea encroached on this topography producing steep cliffs, inlets, sea stacks and sandy or shingly beach deposits.
▪ Where the coast has deep water offshore a fall in base level means the formation of a vertical or very steep cliff.
▪ Without mountain ranges, steep cliffs or rough and bumpy cross-country routes, there are seldom natural features such as corkscrew bends.
▪ They occupy a cove with the sea and steep cliffs behind them and a sailing boat anchored to the right.
vertical
▪ Behind there are vertical cliffs, a dynamic backdrop dwarfing the harbour to insignificance.
▪ No vertical cliff guards this approach, although about 50 million basalt boulders do.
▪ At the bottom of the Grand Canyon the oldest rocks of all are exposed in a gorge lined with vertical cliffs.
white
▪ Then suddenly the white cliffs, a salty tang in the air, a few sheep and a funereal sky.
▪ Behind it was a small white cliff, the bubble of water.
■ NOUN
edge
▪ Suddenly the back of the Morris Minor is hanging over the cliff edge.
▪ Counting his steps, twenty paces in all, he walked to the cliff edge and halted there.
▪ I took off my rings and jewellery and put them in my handbag then lowered myself over the cliff edge.
▪ They follow the line of the cliff edge closely and seem curious at the presence of humans.
▪ It nests on the ground or in caves or cliff edges.
▪ The fairway, with the cliff edge guarding the right-hand side, forms a bowl to collect the shot.
face
▪ So beaches or cliff faces are sometimes exposed, and sometimes covered.
▪ Great cliff faces like you see only in movies.
▪ Apart from the odd natural cove, jagged cliff faces and outcrops of rock abound.
▪ The dank and dismal cliff faces were hanging with squabbling bird life.
▪ A few hundred yards away behind the site is a cliff face, down which a stream tumbles.
▪ It occurs mostly on sheltered, well-watered cliff faces and damp coastal flats where there is local protection from wind and spray.
▪ Also visible are the steel cables that had held it to the cliff face.
▪ Rough hewn steps led up steeply, hugging an almost sheer cliff face.
ledge
▪ The black cut-out being shaped to suggest a cliff ledge.
limestone
▪ From Port Eynon the limestone cliffs extend for five or six miles to Worms Head.
▪ Many feature spectacular limestone cliffs of the sort that rock climbers find irresistible.
▪ From Flamborough Head northwards there is a stretch of spectacular limestone cliff scenery, reaching its highest point around Bempton.
▪ Bristol is penetrated by calcium-loving vegetation growing on the limestone cliffs of the Avon Gorge.
path
▪ If her eyes had been open, she would have seen Zeno heading for the cliff path.
▪ Brought them down here and then gone off along the cliff path with them.
▪ I watched you make off along the cliff path, as if you were making for Otters' Bay.
▪ It wasn't the wind that brought tears to my eyes as I turned to walk along the cliff path.
▪ Leaving the hotel, Edward tucked her arm through his and held her close as they walked briskly along the cliff path.
▪ Walks abound, along the coastal and cliff paths and the river, and through local woods.
▪ That alone would have been worth the scramble round the cliff path.
▪ North of Kessingland the route follows the cliff path to Pakefield, then on the promenade to Lowestoft.
sea
▪ The pioneers here were Arthur Westlake Andrews, father of sea cliff climbing, with his sister Ethel.
▪ The cliff on Ingólfshöfd3i is the only sea cliff for miles.
▪ A fine position, constant exposure, and some tricky sections ensure it status as one of the greatest sea cliff classics.
▪ Breeds mainly on sea cliffs or marine islands, more rarely on flat shores and inland.
top
▪ Eventually I reached the cliff top.
▪ Finally, helped by a rope suspended from the cliff top, we found ourselves on the central plateau.
▪ Here, for many miles, lush green, seemingly flat, fields covered the cliff tops.
▪ In the terrible battle that followed many Dark Elves were driven howling with hatred and fear off the cliff tops.
▪ Situated on a cliff top above the harbour, the complex also includes the Casino and a luxurious air-conditioned cinema.
▪ Our path dropped down to the relative calm of the sea shore, edging craggy inlets beneath overhanging cliff tops.
▪ Puffins zoomed around, skimming the cliff top, wheeling in great circles.
▪ On the cliff top, marsh orchids, pink and lush, clustered in damp hollows.
■ VERB
climb
▪ Many people come to make the ascent, some to climb its tremendous cliffs, others merely to look at it.
▪ Then, after rubbing themselves dry on the bath robe, they dressed and climbed the cliff again.
▪ So he climbed down the cliffs, undressed on the beach and jumped into the sea.
▪ In 24 hours, night-time included, we were expected to climb on five different cliffs in three different ranges.
fall
▪ It was true, it had the feel of truth: the woman hadn't just fallen over a cliff.
▪ The spring, where seekers poured water over their heads to purify themselves, falls from the cliff below the horns.
▪ Again he heard the distant crash as it fell over the cliff.
▪ He believes Ruess probably died in a flash flood or fell off a cliff.
▪ They are the victims of auto accidents, industrial accidents, falls from cliffs, fires, fights, stabbings, shootings.
jump
▪ The fine for jumping cliffs at Zion National Park was more than $ 1, 000.
▪ They then forced two girls to jump over a cliff, after which they fired their guns on them.
▪ It was like waiting to jump off a cliff - and then, not jumping.
nest
▪ Vultures nested in the cliffs and circled in slow spirals above the camp.
▪ Not a waterside bird, frequenting dry country and nesting on rocky cliffs and stream banks, sometimes on ruined buildings.
▪ House Martins have been recorded nesting on the cliffs occasionally.
perch
▪ From its central position perched high on the cliffs, it offers a breathtaking view across the Bay of Naples.
▪ It was perched on a rocky cliff overlooking a stone path to the sea some 40 feet below.
stand
▪ You're standing on a high cliff, chopped off and adumbrated by the heaving green of the sea.
▪ From where I stood on the cliff, it must have been close to six hundred feet down.
▪ Behind the narrow sandy beach stands a sheer cliff of coral rock, seventy feet high.
▪ We stood on the cliff top to welcome them, swallows and house martins, meadow pipits and skylarks.
walk
▪ A Cornish Coastal Footpath has been opened to give the public access to walk along the cliffs.
▪ Counting his steps, twenty paces in all, he walked to the cliff edge and halted there.
▪ It wasn't the wind that brought tears to my eyes as I turned to walk along the cliff path.
▪ On this side of the street, where he was walking, was a cliff of elegant apartment houses overlooking the museum.
▪ Leaving the hotel, Edward tucked her arm through his and held her close as they walked briskly along the cliff path.
▪ She would go off alone for long walks over the cliffs - something she had never done before in winter.
▪ Together, with Roman's arm like an iron band round her shoulders, they began to walk, towards the cliffs.
▪ They walked daily on the cliffs and shore.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ He could see cliffs and a distant wash of white.
▪ He ran off the cliff and leapt into the air.
▪ If her eyes had been open, she would have seen Zeno heading for the cliff path.
▪ It has bushy cliffs on both sides that lean like hairy ghosts over the unknown waters.
▪ Just before he and the camera take a dig over like a thirty foot cliff.
▪ Maritime cliff Armeria maritima - Ligusticum scoticum maritime rock crevice community.
▪ So I went across and shot one of the guys and the other chopper landed on the cliff.
▪ We fell asleep listening to the surf chisel away at the foot of the cliff below.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Cliff

Cliff \Cliff\ (kl[i^]f), n. [AS. clif, cloef; akin to OS. klif, D. klif, klip, Icel. klif, Dan. & G. klippe, Sw. klippa; perh. orig. a climbing place. See Climb.] A high, steep rock; a precipice.

Cliff swallow (Zo["o]l.), a North American swallow ( Petrochelidon lunifrons), which builds its nest against cliffs; the eaves swallow.

Cliff

Cliff \Cliff\, n. (Mus.) See Clef. [Obs.]

Related phrases:
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
cliff

Old English clif "rock, promontory, steep slope," from Proto-Germanic *kliban (cognates: Old Saxon clif, Old Norse klif, Middle Dutch klippe, Dutch klip, Old High German klep, German Klippe "cliff, promontory, steep rock").\n

\nClift has been a variant spelling since 15c. and was common in early Modern English, influenced by or merged with clift, a variant of cleft (n.). Cliff-dweller first attested 1889, American English.

Wiktionary
cliff

n. A diminutive of the male given name '''Clifford'''.

Related phrases:
WordNet
cliff

n. a steep high face of rock; "he stood on a high cliff overlooking the town"; "a steep drop" [syn: drop, drop-off]

Related phrases:
Gazetteer
Related phrases:
Wikipedia
Cliff

In geography and geology, a cliff is a 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 (or scarp) 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 (continuous line along the top edge with projections down the face) and outcrops (continuous lines along lower edge).

Cliff (disambiguation)

A cliff is a vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure.

Cliff may also refer to:

Buildings:

  • Cliff Brewery, a former brewery near Ipswich, England
  • Cliff College, a Christian theological college in Derbyshire
  • Cliff Palace, largest cliff dwelling in North America
  • The Cliffs, a historic house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Cargill's Castle in Dunedin, New Zealand, formally known as The Cliffs

Cities and towns

  • Cliff, Kentucky
  • Cliff Village, Missouri, a small village
  • Cliff, New Mexico, an unincorporated community
  • Cliff Township, Custer County, Nebraska
  • The Cliff, Salford, a residential area in the City of Salford, England

Geographic features:

  • Cliff Island, Maine, an island
  • Lake Cliff, a freshwater lake in Dallas, Texas
  • Cliff Mountain (New York), a 3944-foot mountain

People:

  • Cliff (surname)
  • Cliff (given name)
  • Cliff, common known name of British singer Cliff Richard

In entertainment:

  • Cliff (album), first album by Cliff Richard
  • Cliff, a two-comic miniseries by David Hopkins (comic artist) and Roz Gibson
  • "The Cliff", a short story by Charles Baxter (author)

Cyclones:

  • Cyclone Cliff (1981), struck Queensland on February 14, 1981
  • Cyclone Cliff (1992), South Pacific cyclone; did not make landfall
  • Cyclone Cliff (2007), South Pacific cyclone; caused severe damage on Fiji

Other:

  • The Cliff (Emory), shuttle bus system at Emory University near Atlanta
  • Cliff mine, a defunct copper mine in Michigan
  • The Cliff (training ground), a sports ground in Salford, Greater Manchester, England
  • Community-Led Infrastructure Finance Facility (CLIFF), a finance facility managed by Homeless International
  • United States fiscal cliff
Cliff (album)

Cliff Richard's first album Cliff was released in April 1959 and reached No. 4 in the UK album chart. It was recorded live at Abbey Road Studios in February 1959 with The Shadows, then known as The Drifters, in front of an invited audience of 200 to 300 fans. It features live recordings of Cliff's hit single " Move It" and both sides of the yet to be released Drifters' instrumental single " Jet Black"/"Driftin'" as well as a number of rock 'n' roll standards.

Cliff (surname)

Cliff, as a surname, may refer to:

  • Alfred Cliff (1878–1966), English amateur cricketer
  • Clarice Cliff (1899–1972), British ceramic artist
  • Dave Cliff (born 1944), British jazz musician
  • Ian Cliff (born 1952), British diplomat
  • Jimmy Cliff, (born 1948), Jamaican reggae musician
  • John Cliff (1883–1977), British transport executive
  • Leslie Cliff (swimmer) (born 1955), Canadian swimmer
  • Michelle Cliff (born 1946), Jamaican-American author
  • Norman Cliff, American psychology professor
  • Tony Cliff (1917–2000), Trotskyist revolutionary activist
Cliff (given name)

Cliff is a masculine given name. It is a short form of Clifford or Clifton. It may refer to:

In television and film:

  • Cliff Arquette (1905–1974), American comedian and actor
  • Cliff Bole, American and Canadian television director
  • Cliff Clavin, character in the Cheers television series
  • Cliff Curtis, New Zealand film and television actor
  • Cliff De Young, American character actor
  • Cliff Martinez (born 1954), American film score composer
  • Cliff Michelmore, British television presenter
  • Cliff Parisi, British actor and EastEnders star
  • Cliff Robertson (1923–2011), American actor

In music:

  • Cliff Barrows (born 1923), music and program director for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
  • Cliff Burton (1962–1986), former bassist of the band Metallica
  • Cliff Edwards (1895–1971), American singer and musician
  • Cliff Richard (born 1940), British singer
  • Clifford T. Ward, British singer/songwriter
  • Cliff Williams (born 1949), bassist of the rock band AC/DC

In sports:

  • Cliff Anderson (born 1944), American basketball player
  • Cliff Anderson (American football) (1929–1979), American football player
  • Cliff Baldwin (1899–1979), American football player
  • Cliff Barker (1921-1998), American basketball player
  • Cliff Bayer (born 1977), American foil fencer
  • Cliff Bricker (1904–1980), Canadian long-distance runner
  • Cliff Harris (born 1948), American football player
  • Cliff Thorburn (born 1948), Canadian snooker player
  • Cliff Lee, American baseball player
  • Cliff Olander (born 1955), American football player
  • Cliff Politte, American baseball player
  • Clifford Robinson (disambiguation), various people
  • Cliff Ronning (born 1965), Canadian ice hockey player
  • Cliff Toney (born 1958), American football player
  • Cliff Wiley (born 1955), American track and field athlete

Fictional Characters

  • Cliff Clewless, a character from the comic strip Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!.
  • Cliff Huxtable, the main protagonist of the long-running hit TV series The Cosby Show
  • Cliff Bradshaw, the male lead in the musical Cabaret
  • Cliff Barnes, a character from the TV drama Dallas

In other fields:

  • Cliff Bleszinski, the lead game designer for the company Epic Games
Related phrases:

Usage examples of "cliff".

Despite a conservative training--or because of it, for humdrum lives breed wistful longings of the unknown--he swore a great oath to scale that avoided northern cliff and visit the abnormally antique gray cottage in the sky.

A forensic team abseils down the cliff and scours the area but finds nothing more than a few small strips of clothing.

He could not see the pilot, but he had a fair idea where the man would be huddled on the floor, and he was just aiming at that part of the floor when the helicopter veered sharply up the cliff.

Gravity warped alarmingly as they started to traverse the cliff, making it seem as if they were vertical during the whole transition.

One of the fat ugly Albacore sharks saw me as I slid down the dark cliff face, and he swerved towards me.

Looking across the water, Alec saw that a huge channel had been cut through the cliffs at the head of the bay.

Coming on deck just after dawn, Alec saw towering grey cliffs off the port bow and a cluster of islands lying close to shore ahead of them.

Unable to free his hand from the reins, Alec was jerked off balance and swung out over the cliff edge.

There, they ate lunch at a seafood shack on Almar Avenue, with outdoor tables, and went for a long walk along West Cliff Drive and out onto the ocean view point before heading back into San Francisco.

Now, this angle by adding to it the twenty-seven degrees which separated Alpha from the antarctic pole, and by reducing to the level of the sea the height of the cliff on which the observation had been made, was found to be fiftythree degrees.

The sun glittered off the silver radiator and off the engine-turned aluminium shield below the high perpendicular glass cliff of the windscreen.

My first experiences in Egypt, pursuing mummies and climbing up and down cliffs, had convinced me that trailing skirts and tight corsets were a confounded nuisance in that ambience For many years my working costume had consisted of pith helmet and shirtwaist, boots, and Turkish trousers, or bloomers.

Framed in it was the amethystine burning of the great ring that girdled the encircling cliffs.

As she entered the familiar channel between Amygdaloid Island and Belle Isle, and saw the ranger station snugged up safe from storms at the foot of the moss-covered cliff, she allowed herself one short dream of cholla cactus and skies without milky veils of moisture, of a sun with fire to it and food hotter even than that.

An overcast sky pressed down to the top of the cliff that backed Amygdaloid Ranger Station.