edge

noun

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\ ˈej

Definition of edge

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the cutting side of a blade a razor's edge

b : the sharpness of a blade a knife with no edge

c(1) : force, effectiveness blunted the edge of the legislation

(2) : vigor or energy especially of body maintains his hard edge

d(1) : incisive or penetrating quality writing with a satirical edge

(2) : a noticeably harsh or sharp quality her voice had an edge to it

(3) : a secondary but distinct quality rock music with a bluesy edge

e : keenness or intensity of desire or enjoyment lost my competitive edge

2a : the line where an object or area begins or ends : border on the edge of a plain

b : the narrow part adjacent to a border the edge of the deck

c(1) : a point near the beginning or the end especially : brink, verge on the edge of disaster

(2) : the threshold of danger or ruin living on the edge

d : a favorable margin : advantage has an edge on the competition

3 : a line or line segment that is the intersection of two plane faces (as of a pyramid) or of two planes

on edge

: anxious, nervous

edge

verb

edged; edging

Definition of edge (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to give an edge to

b : to be on an edge of trees edging the lake

2 : to move or force gradually edged him off the road

3 : to incline (a ski) sideways so that one edge cuts into the snow

4 : to defeat by a small margin —often used with out edged out her opponent

intransitive verb

: to advance by short moves

Other Words from edge Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about edge

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Examples of edge in a Sentence

Noun They peered over the edge of the roof. The fabric was frayed at the edge. He made us all nervous by standing so close to the edge of the cliff. She sat on the edge of the counter, swinging her legs. the edge of an ax His voice had a sarcastic edge. These amendments will blunt the edge of the legislation. Verb Edge the sleeve with lace. She edged away from him. Gasoline prices have been edging upward. I edged my chair closer to the table.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Coastal Commission requires a minimum setback of 40 feet from the bluff’s edge. — Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, "A weak spot in the Solana Beach armor," 9 May 2021 The Spurs and Pacers are hanging around the edge of the play-in tournaments, but the Pacers have had an assistant coach suspended and player fined for arguing with one another and the Spurs have lost five of their last six. — Jim Owczarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In final week of the season, the Milwaukee Bucks can start to write a new story," 9 May 2021 The city, on the western edge of the Rockies and a 45-minute drive south of Salt Lake City, has long been a destination for young professionals looking to leave the coasts for a less-expensive place to live. — Justin Baer, WSJ, "The Breakout Cities on the Forefront of America’s Economic Recovery," 9 May 2021 If the film’s edge-of-the-seat uncertainty reminds viewers of Hitchcock’s film Vertigo or Roman Polanski’s film Rosemary’s Baby, that’s not surprising. — Joan Macdonald, Forbes, "Director Seo You-Min Talks About Memories And Her Hit Film‘Recalled’," 9 May 2021 Seekonk went ahead again on an 8-yard Moran run in the second quarter and the Warriors carried a 21-14 edge into halftime. — BostonGlobe.com, "JT Moran, Seekonk strike Gold with South Coast Conference division championship," 8 May 2021 Paye looks like the early front-runner to see a majority of the action off the right edge for the Colts. — Jim Ayello, The Indianapolis Star, "First-round pick Kwity Paye living a dream in first few days with Colts," 8 May 2021 The most effective treatment to reduce the impact of bedstraw stickers is to rake up the sticky brown wads of the plant that still are setting in the shrub border and the edge of the lawn. — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, "Your guide to controlling summer weeds in San Antonio gardens," 7 May 2021 Brown, pinch hitting for Piscotty, stung a single to right and the A’s had given Manaea a 1-0 edge. — Steve Kroner, San Francisco Chronicle, "Seth Brown's walk-off HR lift A's over Rays after Manaea takes no-no into 8th," 7 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The Celtics edge the Pistons 66-64; the 130-point total is far below the previous low of 142 registered three times. — Houston Mitchell Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, "The Sports Report: Clippers fall to the Knicks, Lakers defeat Suns," 10 May 2021 Rookie of the Year voters will have to decide whether Anthony Edwards’s numbers for a downtrodden Timberwolves team are good enough to edge LaMelo Ball’s sparkling season with the Hornets despite missing 20 games with a fractured wrist. — BostonGlobe.com, "Chemistry biggest issue for James Harden and Brooklyn Nets heading into postseason," 8 May 2021 More recently, however, inflation expectations as measured by the breakeven rate between yields on 10 year Treasuries and TIPS have begun to edge higher (see chart). — Nick Sargen, Forbes, "Inflation Creep: What To Monitor So There’s No Surprise," 7 May 2021 Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 recouped early losses to edge up nearly 0.1%, while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6%. — Stan Choe, Star Tribune, "Stocks rally to records after grim jobs data undercuts rates," 7 May 2021 A week ago, the Ravens had roster holes at wide receiver, edge rusher, right tackle and interior offensive line. — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, "Ravens roster projection: With draft over and Alejandro Villanueva signed, depth chart comes into focus," 5 May 2021 The online lender's traditional strength has been in mortgage refinancings, which are forecast to slow industrywide this year as mortgage interest rates edge up. — Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, "Dan Gilbert's Rocket Companies sees $2.7B first quarter profit," 5 May 2021 The marine layer, fog and low clouds, are likely along the coast and may edge their way through the Golden Gate Bridge to the bay shoreline. — Michael Cabanatuan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Burst of high temps to scorch S.F. Bay Area this week. Here's what to expect," 4 May 2021 The Cincinnati Bengals selected Joseph Ossai, a defensive end/linebacker/edge rusher from the Texas Longhorns, in the third round - 69th overall - of the 2021 NFL Draft on Friday night in Cleveland. — Dave Clark, The Enquirer, "Reactions: Cincinnati Bengals select Texas' Joseph Ossai in third round of 2021 NFL Draft," 1 May 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'edge.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for edge

Noun

Middle English egge, going back to Old English ecg "cutting side of a blade, border," going back to Germanic *agjō "cutting side of a blade" (whence also Old Frisian eg "cutting side of a blade, sword," Old Saxon eggia, Old High German egga, ekka "cutting side of a blade, border, point, corner," Old Norse egg "cutting side of a blade"), feminine noun derivative from Indo-European *h₂eḱ- "sharp, pointed," whence also Latin aciēs "sharp part of a weapon"

Note: The base *h₂eḱ- "sharp, pointed" was productive of a large number of suffixed derivatives in the Indo-European daughter languages. Latin had a verbal base deriving from h₂eḱ-eh₁- "to be sharp" (see acetic acid, acid entry 2) and a presumed adjectival stem *acū- "sharp" (see acute). An apparently isolated derivative is Greek akmḗ "highest point" (see acme). For the derivative *h₂eḱ-r-/h₂oḱ-r-, with outcomes in Greek, Latin, and other languages, see acro-, mediocre. See also awn, ear entry 2.