edge out

Idioms  

1. Surpass or defeat by a small margin, as in She edged out her opponent on the home stretch. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Bass launched her first salvo over the weekend, as the tally of mail-in votes made clear that Raman would edge out Spencer Pratt to challenge her in the fall election.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

This means people often vote for countries where they see some historic allegiance, or vote tactically to edge out old rivals.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The 22-year-old, who also won silver in slopestyle and big air in Italy, posted a best score of 94.75 at Livigno Snow Park to edge out China teammate Li Fanghui, who scored 93.00.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

A cooler Christmas could affect final figures, but it is likely that 2025 will edge out the current record of 10.03C from 2022, the Met Office says.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

We fired Columbia’s rocket engine shortly after we swung around behind the moon’s left edge, out of touch with the earth for the first time in three days.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins