verge
1 Americannoun
-
verges
plural
-
the edge, rim, or margin of something.
the verge of a desert; to operate on the verge of fraud.
-
the limit or point beyond which something begins or occurs; brink.
on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
-
a limiting belt, strip, or border of something.
-
British. a narrow strip of turf bordering on a pathway, sidewalk, roadway, etc.
-
a decorative border, as on or around an object, structural part, etc.
-
limited room or scope for something.
an action within the verge of one's abilities.
-
an area or district subject to a particular jurisdiction.
-
History/Historical. an area or district in England embracing the royal palace, being the jurisdiction of the Marshalsea Court.
-
the part of a sloping roof that projects beyond the gable wall.
-
Architecture. the shaft of a column or colonette.
-
a rod, wand, or staff, especially one carried as an emblem of authority or of the office of a bishop, dean, or the like.
-
Horology. a palletlike lever formerly used in inexpensive pendulum clocks.
-
Obsolete. a stick or wand held in the hand of a person swearing fealty to a feudal lord on being admitted as a tenant.
verb (used without object)
-
to be on the edge or margin; border.
Our property verges on theirs.
-
to come close to or be in transition to some state, quality, etc. (usually followed byon ).
a statesman who verged on greatness; a situation that verged on disaster.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
an edge or rim; margin
-
a limit beyond which something occurs; brink
on the verge of ecstasy
-
a grass border along a road
-
an enclosing line, belt, or strip
-
architect the edge of the roof tiles projecting over a gable
-
architect the shaft of a classical column
-
an enclosed space
-
horology the spindle of a balance wheel in a vertical escapement, found only in very early clocks
-
English legal history
-
the area encompassing the royal court that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Lord High Steward
-
a rod or wand carried as a symbol of office or emblem of authority, as in the Church
-
a rod held by a person swearing fealty to his lord on becoming a tenant, esp of copyhold land
-
verb
-
to be near (to)
to verge on chaos
-
to serve as the edge of (something)
this narrow strip verges the road
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of verge1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English virge, verge “shaft, column, rod (hence boundary or jurisdiction symbolized by a steward's rod), rod of office, penis,” from Middle French, from Latin virga “shoot, twig, branch, rod”
Origin of verge2
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin vergere “to turn, bend, be inclined”
Explanation
Think of an edge, a border, a boundary, and you are thinking about the verge, the point where something begins or ends. We talk about a nervous person being on the verge of a breakdown, or about a scientist being on the verge of a major breakthrough, but the British have another good physical meaning: they call the strip of grass that borders a walkway the verge, giving you a clear mental picture that goes beyond the abstract.
Vocabulary lists containing verge
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 7–11
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Metamorphosis
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: November 26 - December 1, 2017
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
They entered Wednesday on the verge of sweeping the ultrawealthy New York Yankees out of the playoffs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
A person may even warn us by crying for help or, as Cathy does, advising those on the verge of falling into her trap to turn back.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
This was when Schmitt, believing he was on the verge of a slam dunk, accused Smith of perjury.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
The Chargers and their turbulent offense are on the verge of starting 0-3 for the first time since 2017.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026
He didn’t look healthy by any means, but he didn’t look on the verge of death anymore.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
We like a very early dinner that verges on being a very late lunch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
He also has a tendency to get starry-eyed around big-name pitchers; his awe of Mr. Skubal verges on sycophantic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
"The verges between the lay-bys were strewn with litter, the lay-bys themselves were in a mess," he added.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026
As he’s classically rendered, Soames verges on unpalatable.
From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026
What worried him was that where it did so there were only very narrow verges of short grass, offering no cover.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
The result in Beijing verged at times towards collective paranoia.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
More goals are being scored, but the amount of pushing and pulling has at times verged on the farcical.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2026
On social media, the schadenfreude has verged on gleeful, with the public picking up on even the smallest references to confirm their priors and their thirst for justice is palpable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
The energy, the motion, the kavorka forever verged on chaos.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2024
He was a northerner, with black curls that verged on womanish, an effect he tempered with his carefully tended beard.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
The re-created history, which is where many historical documentaries fail, looks good, and the scenes the writers conjure up are well done, if verging sometimes on melodrama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Former scrum-half Matt Dawson described England's discipline as "verging on comical" after their number of yellow cards for the year reached 14 in the chaotic 31-24 controversial win over Argentina.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
A consistent message emerged: Los Angeles was not a beautiful, vibrant metropolis with serious problems, but a hellhole verging on being lost for good.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
We are drawn by the painting’s rich orchestration of warm and cool browns—from sludgy tan to super-charged ocher verging on sienna—and its seductive textures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
He stood in front of me, towering, not even a hint of a smile, only worry and sadness and something verging on panic.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
