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brink

[ bringk ]
/ brɪŋk /
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noun
the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.
any extreme edge; verge.
a crucial or critical point, especially of a situation or state beyond which success or catastrophe occurs: We were on the brink of war.
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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of brink

1250–1300; Middle English brink<Old Norse (Danish ) brink, cognate with MLG brink edge, hillside, Old Norse brekka slope, hill

OTHER WORDS FROM brink

brinkless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brink in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brink

brink
/ (brɪŋk) /

noun
the edge, border, or verge of a steep placethe brink of the precipice
the highest point; topthe sun fell below the brink of the hill
the land at the edge of a body of water
the verge of an event or statethe brink of disaster

Word Origin for brink

C13: from Middle Dutch brinc, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse brekka slope, Middle Low German brink edge of a field
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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