precipice
noun
prec·i·pice
ˈpre-s(ə-)pəs 
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
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
The conditions were dismissed after brief talks early the following year, with then-President Joe Biden's administration releasing intelligence concluding that Putin was on the precipice of ordering a large-scale invasion.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
America’s closest ally was teetering on the precipice of collapse to a maniacal leader, which would give the Nazis control of Europe.
—Doug Most
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
One of them stood on the precipice of perfection when Urías stepped into the batter’s box for his third at-bat.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
The world stands on the precipice of a dangerous era of nuclear proliferation that risks expanding the geography of catastrophic risk.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precipice
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Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
America’s closest ally was teetering on the precipice of collapse to a maniacal leader, which would give the Nazis control of Europe.
—Doug Most
august 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
One of them stood on the precipice of perfection when Urías stepped into the batter’s box for his third at-bat.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025
The world stands on the precipice of a dangerous era of nuclear proliferation that risks expanding the geography of catastrophic risk.
—Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for precipice
Cite this Entry
“Precipice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precipice. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
precipice
noun
prec·i·pice
ˈpres-(ə-)pəs
: a very steep and high face of a rock or mountain
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