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

Przewalski’s horses, native to Mongolia and once on the brink of extinction, were introduced here in 1998 as an experiment. —Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026

Local, state and federal officials were aware of the dangers posed by the Cheboygan Lock and Dam for years before floodwaters pushed it to the brink of collapse, records show. —CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026

As in being on the brink of the time of year when legends are made, piggybacking on the bright lights and national — and global — attention that comes along with it. —Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 17 Apr. 2026

Perhaps some of that stemmed from the Wild pushing the Vegas Golden Knights to the brink in a first round playoff series last season. —Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2026