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

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

verge verges verged verging

See: Semiconductor stocks are on the verge of a bear market.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026

The diminishing returns of instant gratification might explain why catalogs are nearly always, according to trade publications and business journals, on the verge of a renaissance.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

Hernández, on the verge of a rehab assignment, is on a faster track to return than Roberts initially expected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Standing on a grassy verge in the Hook of Holland, I'm overlooking the Port of Rotterdam.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

The way people use their carts—on the verge of being battering rams to make their way through the crowd.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

The film is such a Christmas perennial it verges on the liturgical, and why not?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

In one direction lay the entire cancellation of HS2, despite the viaducts, tunnels, verges, bat protection facilities, and floating platforms that have already been built.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

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

From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2026

Hedgerows and verges were at their rankest and thickest.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 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

More goals are being scored, but the amount of pushing and pulling has at times verged on the farcical.

From BBC ● Mar. 2, 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

Sear the thighs skin-side down in a wide skillet until the fat renders and the skin turns deeply golden, verging on bronze.

From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2026

A plant that was once romantic is now, some fear, verging on the apocalyptic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 17, 2025

It was a preoccupation, verging on obsession, that would inform his decisions, and guide his energies.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• brink
• edge
• fringe
• threshold