Definition of PRECIPICE (original) (raw)
1
: a very steep or overhanging place
Synonyms
Examples of precipice in a Sentence
Twenty years ago, it seemed unlikely that black and white South Africans could avoid a cataclysmic struggle. How did we manage to turn back from the precipice and join one another in the long walk to a nonracial democracy? —
F. W. De Klerk, Time, 18 Apr. 2005 These are the brave, friendly guys and gals who flip, twist, spin and somersault themselves backward into the sky and somehow land on a horrifyingly steep precipice without rearranging their rib cages or breaking their faces. —Curry Kirkpatrick, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 1994 … the helpless Cambodians were bused from the safety of a refugee camp to an outcropping along the border several hundred miles to the northeast, where they were forced over the precipice into a wild and inaccessible part of Cambodia from which it would be almost impossible to return to Thailand. —Barbara Crossette, New York Times Book Review, 2 Aug. 1987
He stood on the edge of the precipice. scaled the steep precipice with the ease of an experienced climber
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Williams has just been kicked out of boy band Take That and finds himself on the precipice of stardom or obscurity. —Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 7 Feb. 2025 Gonçalo Loureiro; 2024; Portugal; 23 min On the precipice of adulthood, three aspiring trap stars see their big dreams falter when faced with a harsh reality check. —Addie Morfoot, Variety, 5 Feb. 2025 At stake are potentially billions of dollars withheld from Iran through crushing sanctions and the future of a program on the precipice of enriching weapons-grade uranium. —Nasser Karimi, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025 Eighty-two years before the infamous 2013 security leak by government contractor Edward Snowden, the U.S. was on the precipice of one of its first major intelligence scandals. —Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for precipice 
Word History
Etymology
French, from Middle French, from Latin praecipitium, from praecipit-, praeceps headlong, from prae- + caput head — more at head
First Known Use
1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of precipice was in 1613
Dictionary Entries Near precipice
Cite this Entry
“Precipice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precipice. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 12 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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