the brink
noun
: the edge at the top of a steep cliff
—usually used figuratively to refer to a point that is very close to the occurrence of something very bad or (less commonly) very good
He nearly lost everything because of his drug addiction, but his friends helped to pull him back from the brink.
The two nations are on the brink of war.
Doctors may be on the brink of finding a cure for this disease.
an animal that has been brought/pulled back from the brink of extinction
Examples of the brink in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The announcement mourning Zahedi’s death warned about a pending attack against Israel as the Middle East is on the brink of a possible wide-ranging open war.
—
Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024
All the while, the original $13 million budget tripled, forcing Francis to mortgage the family home and putting him on the brink of bankruptcy.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Instead, Civil War focuses intently on the knotty dynamic (sometimes familial, sometimes patently rivalrous) between Jessie and Lee—an ambitious, possibly opportunistic up-and-comer and the haunted professional who’s seen it all—and the role of journalists in a society on the brink of collapse.
—Elaina Patton, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
Though the Declaration of Independence had been signed three months prior, the fledgling republic was on the brink of collapse.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
The country is on the brink of a technical recession after its economy contracted 0.3% in 2023.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 11 Apr. 2024
But enforcing federal laws, police will punish doctors for turning to walking blood banks in emergency situations, when patients may be on the brink of death.
—Simar Bajaj, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
Bogotá joins Mexico City to its northwest, which could also be on the brink of running out of water, as the combination of climate change, El Niño, geography and rapid urban development put immense strain on its water resources.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
One of those assaults, on Feb. 13, 1981, involved the Ecuadorian embassy in Havana, and as a result, the two countries were also on the brink of breaking diplomatic relations.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024
All the while, the original $13 million budget tripled, forcing Francis to mortgage the family home and putting him on the brink of bankruptcy.
—Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Instead, Civil War focuses intently on the knotty dynamic (sometimes familial, sometimes patently rivalrous) between Jessie and Lee—an ambitious, possibly opportunistic up-and-comer and the haunted professional who’s seen it all—and the role of journalists in a society on the brink of collapse.
—Elaina Patton, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
Though the Declaration of Independence had been signed three months prior, the fledgling republic was on the brink of collapse.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
The country is on the brink of a technical recession after its economy contracted 0.3% in 2023.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 11 Apr. 2024
But enforcing federal laws, police will punish doctors for turning to walking blood banks in emergency situations, when patients may be on the brink of death.
—Simar Bajaj, NPR, 11 Apr. 2024
Bogotá joins Mexico City to its northwest, which could also be on the brink of running out of water, as the combination of climate change, El Niño, geography and rapid urban development put immense strain on its water resources.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
One of those assaults, on Feb. 13, 1981, involved the Ecuadorian embassy in Havana, and as a result, the two countries were also on the brink of breaking diplomatic relations.
—Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the brink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“The brink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20brink. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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