brink

[bringk]

noun

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.

brink

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• brinkless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of brink¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of brink¹

C13: from Middle Dutch brinc , of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse brekka slope, Middle Low German brink edge of a field

Example Sentences

The idea of a driver-cooling system was intimated after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, when heat and humidity left several drivers on the brink of collapse.

From BBC

Glasner's remarkable story - from the brink of death after a brain haemorrhage aged 37 while playing for SV Ried, to his rise as one of European football's most respected coaches - is well told.

From BBC

The era of mega-fires is causing a little noticed climate migration that is reshaping life for thousands of people in California’s backwoods, pushing small, self-reliant mountain communities to the brink of extinction.

From Los Angeles Times

However, with production not expected to resume until 1 October at the earliest, industry experts say some suppliers are on the "brink of collapse".

From BBC

Some businesses that were on the brink of collapse at the end of last week remained on the brink, "because the money isn't out there", he warned.

From BBC

Related Words

• fringe 
• periphery 
• threshold 
• verge