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Meaning & use

precipice

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈpres.ə.pɪs/
US/ˈpres.ə.pɪs/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A very steep rock face or the edge of a high cliff.

    Grammar: A countable noun; often with edge, stand, or fall: the edge of a precipice.

    Patterns

    • edge of a precipice
    • stand on a precipice
    • sheer precipice

    A narrow path runs along the precipice above the sea.

    The climbers rested on a precipice overlooking the valley.

    Keep back from the precipice; there is no fence here.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A point very close to a sudden, dangerous, or dramatic change.

    Grammar: Almost always in the phrase on the precipice of: on the precipice of war.

    Patterns

    • on the precipice of something
    • teeter on the precipice
    • bring to the precipice of something

    The economy stood on the precipice of collapse.

    The scandal brought the company to the precipice of ruin.

    Scientists believe we are on the precipice of a medical breakthrough.

Word forms

pluralprecipices

Common combinations

edge of a precipice
A fence was built at the edge of the precipice for safety.
on the precipice of something
The country stood on the precipice of war.
teeter on the precipice
The firm teetered on the precipice of collapse.
sheer precipice
The hiking trail ended suddenly at a sheer precipice.

Synonyms and how they differ

cliff
Cliff names the rock face itself without the danger and drama implied by precipice.
brink
Brink is the everyday figurative word: on the brink of war; precipice adds a sense of falling.
edge
Edge is the general word for a boundary; a precipice is a steep, dangerous edge.

Word family

precipitous adjective
Very steep, or happening suddenly and dramatically: a precipitous fall.

Commonly confused: precipice or precipitate?

precipice vs precipitate

Precipitate means to cause something suddenly or, in chemistry, to form a solid from a liquid; it shares the Latin root but is a different word.

Practice

After the bank refused further loans, the small firm stood on the ______ of bankruptcy.

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