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
This season, for Kitty, for Yuri, for all of our characters, is really about all of them being on the precipice of adulthood, and transitioning in this final year of being seniors in high school into being adults.
—Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
All of our characters are on that precipice of adulthood and transitioning out of being kids and out of being in high school, thinking about the future and having to be adults.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
Smug, perhaps unaware that right beside her is the largest precipice of her brief life.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
After a second-round exit in 2025, the Huskies are again on the precipice of another championship in head coach Dan Hurley’s eighth season with the program.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for precipice
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Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
All of our characters are on that precipice of adulthood and transitioning out of being kids and out of being in high school, thinking about the future and having to be adults.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 2 Apr. 2026
Smug, perhaps unaware that right beside her is the largest precipice of her brief life.
—María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026
After a second-round exit in 2025, the Huskies are again on the precipice of another championship in head coach Dan Hurley’s eighth season with the program.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for precipice
Cite this Entry
“Precipice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precipice. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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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