Etymology
Origin of edgewise
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.
It was never easy to get a word in edgewise, and there was nothing “safe” about that space—say anything half-stupid and everyone would pile on for the next 25 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
Kamala Harris could hardly get a word in edgewise during her interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, but when she did she made it count.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
But he did not have good answers, even on those rare occasions when he was allowed to get in a word edgewise.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 27, 2023
There are moments when you almost wish Castillo would stop talking so you can get a word in edgewise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2022
Since he was convinced that everything he uttered was interesting, the rest of the family had trouble getting a word in edgewise.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
