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

Meanwhile, the conflict between the Na’vi and humans escalates further, bringing Pandora to the brink of collapse. —Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025

Chinese solar businesses hailed progress in combating cutthroat competition that has sent prices for panels plummeting, but which has also left several companies on the brink of collapse. —Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025

On one hand, the environmental footprint of all-things-AI is mushrooming beyond the pale of the technology’s purported potential to save the world from the brink of burning. —Alexandra Harrell, Sourcing Journal, 18 Dec. 2025

As a fractured Lebanon teeters on the brink of collapse, their relationship provokes a wave of anger and indignation all around them, forcing them to face the hostility, and to resist. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 18 Dec. 2025