on the verge of

Idioms  

1. Close to, on the brink of, as in I was on the verge of calling the doctor when he suddenly got better, or Sara was on the verge of tears when she heard the news. This term uses verge in the sense of “the brink or border of something.” [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

But winger Eberechi Eze left for Arsenal, skipper Marc Guehi nearly joined Liverpool, then moved to Manchester City five months later and top scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta was on the verge of signing for AC Milan, only to fail a medical.

From BBC

The victory puts the Proteas on the verge of the semi-finals without making them mathematically sure.

From BBC

With 41 seconds left against Penn State in November, Indiana trailed 24-20 and was on the verge of losing its perfect season.

From The Wall Street Journal

The second story, “Birdie,” captures a friendship on the verge of tatters among a group of women.

From Los Angeles Times

Opal folded her lower lip down so that she looked like a large toddler on the verge of a tantrum.

From Literature

Related Words

• about
• approximately
• around
• essentially
• most
• much
• practically
• relatively
• roughly
• virtually