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Meaning & use

vertical rock face

noun·Advancedtechnical

Last updated

UK/ˌvɜːtɪkl ˈrɒk feɪs/
US/ˌvɜːrtɪkl ˈrɑːk feɪs/

Meanings

  1. nouncountabletechnical

    A steep, almost straight wall of bare rock, especially one used by climbers.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say a vertical rock face or several vertical rock faces.

    Patterns

    • a vertical rock face
    • climb a vertical rock face
    • on a vertical rock face

    The climbers spent six hours on a vertical rock face in the Dolomites.

    A waterfall drops down a vertical rock face at the far end of the valley.

    The route follows a vertical rock face for the first hundred meters.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A cliff surface that rises straight up, described in geography and geology.

    Grammar: Often used with on or along when talking about position.

    Patterns

    • on a vertical rock face
    • along the vertical rock face

    Fossils were found embedded in the vertical rock face.

    Erosion has left a smooth vertical rock face along the coast.

Word forms

pluralvertical rock faces

Common combinations

a sheer vertical rock face
A sheer vertical rock face rose above the trail.
climb a vertical rock face
They plan to climb a vertical rock face in Yosemite.
scale a vertical rock face
Rescue teams had to scale a vertical rock face to reach the injured hiker.
on the vertical rock face
There are ancient carvings on the vertical rock face.
a vertical rock face drops
Below the viewpoint, a vertical rock face drops into the sea.

Synonyms and how they differ

cliff
A general word for any high steep rock edge, whether or not it is completely vertical.
rock wall
More informal and often used for climbing routes; it need not be perfectly vertical.
precipice
Literary and suggests a dangerously steep drop, with more drama than the technical term.

Opposites

gentle slopeflat ground

Word family

vertical adjective
Going straight up and down, at a right angle to the ground.
vertically adverb
In a straight up-and-down direction.
face noun
A flat surface of something, such as a wall or a rock.

Commonly confused: vertical rock face or rock face? vertical rock face or cliff face?

vertical rock face vs rock face

This just means any exposed surface of rock; adding vertical stresses that it rises almost straight up.

vertical rock face vs cliff face

Very similar, but cliff face usually refers to a cliff by the sea or a large drop, while vertical rock face is common in climbing and geology.

Practice

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