escarpment
noun
es·carp·ment i-ˈskärp-mənt 
1
: a steep slope in front of a fortification
2
: a long cliff or steep slope separating two comparatively level or more gently sloping surfaces and resulting from erosion or faulting
Synonyms
- barranca
- barranco
- bluff
- cliff
- crag
- palisade
- precipice
- scar
- scarp
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
the castle sits atop an escarpment that for hundreds of years made it virtually invulnerable to attack
Recent Examples on the Web The escarpment, nicknamed Hacksaw Ridge for the treacherously steep cliff, was key to winning the battle of Okinawa. 
Mike Miller, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2022 See and hike through a few along the 2-mile Eagle Trail, which traces the 150-foot cliffs of the escarpment along Green Bay. Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2022 So, along with the convenience, the eastern escarpment of the Sierra is a 10,000-foot high wall that extends for about a hundred miles, with a desert below and another mountain range to the east. Christian Holub, EW.com, 20 June 2022 Simone’s childhood home, located in Tryon, N.C., a small town of 1,600 nestled at the base of the southern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was at risk of succumbing to age and neglect. New York Times, 16 Mar. 2022 The main wreckage was found perched on a 2,500-foot escarpment within a mile of the western park entrance. Charlie Zaharoff, Outside Online, 8 Oct. 2014 As much as a foot of snow could fall near the edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment in Greenville and as much as 20 inches of snow could accumulate above 4,000 feet of elevation in that area. Alanne Orjoux, CNN, 16 Jan. 2022 Swifts dipped and dove overhead as the setting sun silhouetted an escarpment on the other side of the river. Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022 What remains are mostly tiny and tricky lots like 1490, which faces onto a subway viaduct and is partly taken up by a rock escarpment. New York Times, 4 Feb. 2022 See More
Mike Miller, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2022 See and hike through a few along the 2-mile Eagle Trail, which traces the 150-foot cliffs of the escarpment along Green Bay. Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2022 So, along with the convenience, the eastern escarpment of the Sierra is a 10,000-foot high wall that extends for about a hundred miles, with a desert below and another mountain range to the east. Christian Holub, EW.com, 20 June 2022 Simone’s childhood home, located in Tryon, N.C., a small town of 1,600 nestled at the base of the southern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was at risk of succumbing to age and neglect. New York Times, 16 Mar. 2022 The main wreckage was found perched on a 2,500-foot escarpment within a mile of the western park entrance. Charlie Zaharoff, Outside Online, 8 Oct. 2014 As much as a foot of snow could fall near the edge of the Blue Ridge escarpment in Greenville and as much as 20 inches of snow could accumulate above 4,000 feet of elevation in that area. Alanne Orjoux, CNN, 16 Jan. 2022 Swifts dipped and dove overhead as the setting sun silhouetted an escarpment on the other side of the river. Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022 What remains are mostly tiny and tricky lots like 1490, which faces onto a subway viaduct and is partly taken up by a rock escarpment. New York Times, 4 Feb. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
French escarpement, from escarper to scarp, from Middle French, from escarpe scarp, from Old Italian scarpa — more at scarp
First Known Use
circa 1802, in the meaning defined at sense 1
escarpment
noun
as in cliff
a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice the castle sits atop an escarpment that for hundreds of years made it virtually invulnerable to attack Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cliff
- crag
- palisade
- bluff
- scarp
- precipice
- embankment
- barranca
- scar
- barranco
- hogback
- butte
- cuesta
- declivity
- tor
- pitch
- bulwark
- drop-off