precipice

noun

prec·​i·​pice ˈpre-s(ə-)pəs How to pronounce precipice (audio)
1
: a very steep or overhanging place
2
: a hazardous situation
broadly : brink

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
The director of Google DeepMind, the tech giant’s formidable AI lab, recognized the Swedish area code on his phone and froze, unable to believe what was on the precipice of happening. Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 As crises become more common and intense, the role leaders play in pulling states away from the precipice of war becomes increasingly important. Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024 In Harvest, Walter dangles over the precipice of modernity, and most crucially, capitalism. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 3 Oct. 2024 The attack, threatened for weeks by Israel, comes as the Middle East sits on the precipice of a regional war more than a year after an initial attack by the militant group Hamas on Israel. Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2024 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 16 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

precipice

noun
prec·​i·​pice ˈpres-(ə-)pəs How to pronounce precipice (audio)
: a very steep and high face of a rock or mountain

More from Merriam-Webster on precipice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!