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edge of the cliff

edge of the cliff

6 3.6
The outer part of a cliff where the ground drops down sharply
  • noun
translation icon : borde del acantilado
  • Horrified, Jan looked over the edge of the cliff, but in the darkness he could see nothing.
  • standing at the edge of the cliff
  • looking over the edge of the cliff
  • run to the edge of the cliff

I am standing on the edge of the Cliff the entire night.

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Examples

  • The path curves, dips, and then dives over the edge of the cliff.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Remember the villa at the edge of the cliff?

  • I was trying to turn my car near the edge of the cliff.

  • We are standing on the edge of the cliff, ready to jump.

    Blog text (25)
  • I walked all the way out to the edge of the cliff without seeing anything.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Sure enough, there were two tiny figures walking along the edge of the cliff...

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I walked over to the edge of the cliff, took a deep breath, and let it out.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The sun has set as Sam stands at the edge of the cliff trying to garner the courage to jump.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The pickup bursts through a retaining fence and rockets over the edge of the cliff.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Daine stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, looking out over the waves.

Synonyms

edge
vsedge of the cliff
1.0

Outer part of an object that forms a border, often sharp

is specifically the boundary of a vertical rock face with steep fall beyond
ledge
vsedge of the cliff
99 3.6

A narrow flat surface that sticks out from a wall or cliff

marks the outer boundary beyond which a steep vertical face plunges
drop
vsedge of the cliff
41 5.3

A steep high face of rock, like a cliff

indicates the outer boundary at the top of that vertical descent not the fall
precipice
vsedge of the cliff
27 7.4

A very steep cliff with a sudden drop

refers to the outer boundary of such a rock face rather than the whole
brink
vsedge of the cliff
8 4.5

The very edge of a steep place like a cliff

is limited to vertical rock faces with a sharp descent beyond
drop-off
vsedge of the cliff
5 5.5

A very steep edge of land or rock

focuses on the upper boundary above that abrupt descent rather than the face

Surface Forms

Morphology

edge + of + the + cliff

The meaning is directly and transparently compositional: 'edge' (outer boundary) combined with 'cliff' (steep rock face) linked by the preposition phrase 'of the' yields the outermost part of a cliff. This 'edge of X' construction is a standard, cross-linguistic part-whole/location pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand.

Etymology

Edge of the cliff comes from the literal image of standing on the thin edge of a high cliff, where one wrong step leads to a sudden drop. So it means 'the outermost part or boundary of a rock face before a fall'.