brink
Americannoun
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the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.
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any extreme edge; verge.
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a crucial or critical point, especially of a situation or state beyond which success or catastrophe occurs.
We were on the brink of war.
noun
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the edge, border, or verge of a steep place
the brink of the precipice
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the highest point; top
the sun fell below the brink of the hill
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the land at the edge of a body of water
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the verge of an event or state
the brink of disaster
Other Word Forms
- brinkless adjective
Etymology
Origin of brink
1250–1300; Middle English brink < Old Norse ( Danish ) brink, cognate with MLG brink edge, hillside, Old Norse brekka slope, hill
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A loss to the Huskies, who are 14-15, would make climbing back from the bubble brink especially harrowing.
From Los Angeles Times
Jones will reprise her role as Gemma Foster, who is still a GP and living in the same house, and is on the brink of a fresh start as she prepares to get married.
From BBC
Italian football stands on the brink of a Champions League "debacle" - with the prospect of no Serie A clubs competing in this season's last 16.
From BBC
He has said the court system is "on the brink of collapse".
From BBC
"We are on the brink. We didn't have any gas, water or power. No heating. We were staying there till the very last moment, freezing for three days."
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
