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

But with Graves set to retire and not seek reelection, Kansas City stands on the brink of losing a seat at one of the most important tables in Congress. —Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026

The Rice’s whale is the species closest to the brink of extinction in the Gulf, but other endangered and threatened species live there too, including sea turtles, manatees and whooping cranes. —Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026

If left unchecked, this hole would have exposed life on Earth to dangerous — and in some regions potentially lethal — levels of radiation, but an international treaty brought us back from the brink of disaster. —Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026

But now, humanity is on the brink of making travel to Mars not just a fantastical trope of science fiction, but a reality. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026