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 construct of volatility derivative was teetering on the brink of severe bearishness a week ago.

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There is a growing sense that Arsenal could be on the brink of something special after coming up short in the past few seasons, with three consecutive second-placed finishes in the Premier League.

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Win the race, and he can put himself on the brink of the title.

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Now three years later, with No. 7 Oregon awaiting Saturday, No. 15 USC is back on the brink of the College Football Playoff for the first time since Riley’s debut.

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Few humans pretend to hover on the brink of a total breakdown more convincingly.

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Related Words

• fringe 
• periphery 
• threshold 
• verge