on the verge of

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]

Example Sentences

Poet and opposition figure Chaima Issa held up a large photograph of Ben Mbarek while Msaddek joined the demonstrations, saying her brother was "on the verge of no return" after a one-month hunger strike.

Read more on Barron's

In “Floyd Collins,” Jeremy Jordan met the challenge of bringing vital life to a character on the verge of losing his—a cave explorer trapped underground—in director Tina Landau’s restrained but deeply moving production.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

However, the outlook for the energy sector depends on oil prices, which have been in a downtrend but on the verge of testing support at the $60–$62 zone.

Read more on MarketWatch

Slowly brushing his bow against the instrument, he closes his eyes, and looks almost on the verge of tears.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“While the overall trajectory remains negative for Ukraine, this is not a military that is on the verge of being defeated, or facing a loss of cohesion. They are fatigued, they are exhausted, but they are still determined to fight on,” he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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