verge

¹ American  

[vurj] / vɜrdʒ /

noun

• verges
  plural

1. the edge, rim, or margin of something.

   the verge of a desert; to operate on the verge of fraud.

   Synonyms:

   brink, lip, brim

2. the limit or point beyond which something begins or occurs; brink.

   on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

3. a limiting belt, strip, or border of something.

4. British. a narrow strip of turf bordering on a pathway, sidewalk, roadway, etc.

5. a decorative border, as on or around an object, structural part, etc.

6. limited room or scope for something.

   an action within the verge of one's abilities.

7. an area or district subject to a particular jurisdiction.

8. History/Historical. an area or district in England embracing the royal palace, being the jurisdiction of the Marshalsea Court.

9. the part of a sloping roof that projects beyond the gable wall.

10. Architecture. the shaft of a column or colonette.

11. a rod, wand, or staff, especially one carried as an emblem of authority or of the office of a bishop, dean, or the like.

12. Horology. a palletlike lever formerly used in inexpensive pendulum clocks.

13. Obsolete. a stick or wand held in the hand of a person swearing fealty to a feudal lord on being admitted as a tenant.

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verb (used without object)

verged, verging

1. to be on the edge or margin; border.

   Our property verges on theirs.

2. 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)

verged, verging

1. to serve as the verge or boundary of.

   a high hedge verging the yard.

verge ² American  

[vurj] / vɜrdʒ /

verb (used without object)

verged, verging

1. to incline; tend (usually followed by to ortoward ).

   The economy verges toward inflation.

2. to slope or sink.

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verge ¹ British  

/ vɜːdʒ /

noun

1. an edge or rim; margin

2. a limit beyond which something occurs; brink

   on the verge of ecstasy

3. a grass border along a road

4. an enclosing line, belt, or strip

5. architect the edge of the roof tiles projecting over a gable

6. architect the shaft of a classical column

7. an enclosed space

8. horology the spindle of a balance wheel in a vertical escapement, found only in very early clocks

9. English legal history

   1. the area encompassing the royal court that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Lord High Steward

   2. a rod or wand carried as a symbol of office or emblem of authority, as in the Church

   3. a rod held by a person swearing fealty to his lord on becoming a tenant, esp of copyhold land

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verb

1. to be near (to)

   to verge on chaos

2. to serve as the edge of (something)

   this narrow strip verges the road

verge ² British  

/ vɜːdʒ /

verb

1. (intr; foll by to or towards) to move or incline in a certain direction

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verge Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing verge

• on the verge of

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• verges
  plural

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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”

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

verge verges verged verging

A surprisingly strong U.S. economy sustained its vigor on the verge of the holiday shopping season, a pair of S&P surveys showed, as businesses hired more workers to keep up with rising customer demand.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026

Golden Eagles on verge of first Coliseum League title.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

That now seems on the verge of changing forever.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

Then, Herbie Farnworth conceded a sloppy penalty on the verge of half-time when accidentally tripping Watene-Zelezniak off the ball.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Badwa’s face was rounded, her cheeks full, as though she were on the verge of smiling.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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

Standing outdoors in all weathers, he painted hundreds of scenes of lush meadows and roadside verges.

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

Releasing a film like “Michael” into that universe isn’t bold; it verges on idiotic.

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

I pushed against the earth, trying to stand, and found my fingers tangled among the cool, waxy leaves of the mallow plant that clung to the marshy verges of the river.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Belgium’s outrage ahead of its match against the Americans verged on disbelief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

But did he realise that these stunts verged on self-parody?

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

The result in Beijing verged at times towards collective paranoia.

From Barron's ● May 15, 2026

A questionable outlet, the company obtained the results through a methodology so shady it verged on outright dishonesty: They used a definition of “tradwife” that bears no resemblance to the term’s actual meaning.

From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2026

She had maintained, too, her old way of holding her head in a manner that verged on the defiant.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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

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

These landscapes, portraits and figures, often verging on pastiche, present an academic artist rather than a painter: too much mind, not enough heart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 30, 2026

Six seasons of TV and three feature films depict servitude as a benevolent state, sometimes verging on jolly.

From Salon ● Nov. 1, 2025

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

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Related Words

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