The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
cliffhanger \cliffhanger\ n. a contest whose outcome is uncertain up to the very end. [WordNet 1.5] 2. an episode of a drama that ends in suspense. [WordNet 1.5]WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
cliffhanger n 1: a contest whose outcome is uncertain up to the very end 2: an episode that ends in suspense