knife edge

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noun

the cutting edge of a knife.

anything very sharp.

a wedge on the fine edge of which a scale beam, pendulum, or the like, balances or oscillates.

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Origin of knife edge

First recorded in 1810–20

Words nearby knife edge

knickpoint, Knies, Kniest syndrome, knife, knife box, knife edge, knife-edged, knife grinder, knifeman, knife pleat, knifepoint

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use knife edge in a sentence

It’ll keep your knife in exactly the right position, so you don’t have to worry about creating a weird angle on the knife edge.
The best knife sharpener to keep your blades safe and effective|Edmund Torr|February 25, 2021|Popular-Science
Sukowa, perhaps best known for the films she made with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, walks this knife edge deftly.
In France's Official Oscar Entry Two of Us, Two Women’s Love Story Plays Like a Thriller|Stephanie Zacharek|February 5, 2021|Time
Not to be left behind, progressives in neighboring Wisconsin clamored to join the cutting edge of public health.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
French officials were already on edge after a series of apparently unconnected attacks, including the stabbing of police officers.
U.S. Spies See Al Qaeda Fingerprints on Paris Massacre|Shane Harris, Nancy A. Youssef|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

I took out my knife, my Ka-Bar, and knocked his teeth out, but they fell into his throat.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The rage that Marvin has embodied, a man on the edge of eruption, is always a badly wounded man.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Marvin hops over the edge of his retaining wall, which he built.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
After a bit of waiting, Mac decided that the smoke was floating from a certain direction, and we began to edge carefully that way.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
He was hurrying towards the corner of the palace grounds when a shriek from Winifred set his teeth on edge.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The first man my eyes lighted upon as I stepped inside was MacRae, humped disconsolately on the edge of a bunk.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Pearson flung his knife and fork at it, having forgotten to drop those light weapons when he leaped up.
Hunting the Lions|R.M. Ballantyne
Squinty turned around, standing on the edge of the little brook, and waited, his heart beating faster and faster.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum

British Dictionary definitions for knife edge

knife edge

noun

the sharp cutting edge of a knife

any sharp edge

a sharp-edged wedge of hard material on which the beam of a balance pivots or about which a pendulum is suspended

a critical point in the development of a situation, process of making a decision, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

knife edge

Origin of knife edge

Words nearby knife edge

Words related to knife edge

How to use knife edge in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for knife edge