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
Etymology
Origin of brink
1250–1300; Middle English brink < Old Norse ( Danish ) brink, cognate with MLG brink edge, hillside, Old Norse brekka slope, hill
Explanation
The brink of something is the very edge of it. If you want to give your mom a good scare, stand on the brink of a steep cliff and slowly lean forward. The noun brink describes the edge of a steep drop-off or slope, or the edge of a boundary marking where something begins, like the brink of a pond. Brink also describes the figurative edge or start of something. Nations on the brink of war are very close to mobilizing troops; if you are on the brink of losing your temper, you might try walking away or slowly counting to ten.
Vocabulary lists containing brink
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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 is a country on the brink of terminal crisis. People don’t know what’s going to happen next, and most have almost no hope that things will actually improve.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
A decline that sent the index to the brink of bear-market territory began a couple of weeks later.
From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026
During the financial crisis that struck two years later, he played a key role tying up rescue deals that pulled Wall Street banks back from the brink.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
This season hasn't always been easy on the eye, but Arsenal are now on the brink of their first Premier League title in 22 years.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
To and fro he swayed, now so near the brink that almost he tumbled in, now dragging back, falling to the ground, rising, and falling again.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
