brink

American  

[bringk] / brɪŋk /

noun

• brinks
  plural

1. the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.

2. any extreme edge; verge.

3. 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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brink British  

/ brɪŋk /

noun

1. the edge, border, or verge of a steep place

   the brink of the precipice

2. the highest point; top

   the sun fell below the brink of the hill

3. the land at the edge of a body of water

4. the verge of an event or state

   the brink of disaster

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• brinkless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• brinks
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brink brinks

Once the undisputed giant of Nigerian politics, the Peoples Democratic Party now finds itself on the brink of extinction.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

"We share the public's anger that these options are even being considered, after we inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse."

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Yemen's years-long civil conflict killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted millions and drove the country to the brink of famine before a 2022 truce restored relative calm.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

But Tim Kielpinski, the hospital’s CEO, says it was “in dire straits” and on the brink of having to shut its doors last year before it received an emergency multimillion-dollar bailout from the county.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

I backed toward the balcony’s brink, reaching behind me to grope desperately for a weapon.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

“Terry gone need a brinks truck,” Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves tweeted shortly after Kirk’s deal.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 14, 2022

This week, talks are on the brinks of collapse, the British government may be breaking the law, and terrifying deadlines are looming.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2020

Speaking of brinks, Oregon seemed to find one hurriedly.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 1, 2019

No one else could have moved Sierra Leone from the brinks of collapse to the threshold of prosperity with the time Pa Kabba did.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2014

When a little wearied with those aerial journeys she would return to “Fairyland,” and, leaning over the brinks of the pools, peer down into their beautiful depths for hours at a time.

From The Red Eric by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne

Related Words

• fringe
• periphery
• threshold
• verge