Etymology
Origin of edgewise
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.
It was never easy to get a word in edgewise, and there was nothing “safe” about that space—say anything half-stupid and everyone would pile on for the next 25 years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
But not before papa Ozzy got a few words in edgewise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2025
Kamala Harris could hardly get a word in edgewise during her interview with Fox News' Bret Baier, but when she did she made it count.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2024
My friend has a 16-year-old child who is shy, quiet and smart, but who can't get a word in edgewise when we three are together.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 14, 2022
Emma was the only one who managed to get a question in edgewise: “You think we just went through a natural gas explosion?”
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
