brink
Americannoun
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brinks
plural
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the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.
-
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
The European Union's top commerce official was due in China on Thursday for talks aimed at bringing both sides back from the brink of a mutually damaging trade war.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
He again predicted that Russia and Ukraine were on the brink of peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Just 18 years ago, the club was on the brink.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
But it had been beset by corruption allegations and was on the brink of insolvency.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
“The smallest charms can be the most effective,” Isobel says, taken aback when her voice catches, almost on the brink of tears.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
“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
Leaving Annecy, we followed a picturesque road through a wild, weird land, along gorges and awesome brinks, under a somber sky.
From The Car That Went Abroad Motoring Through the Golden Age by Albert Bigelow Paine
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.
