edge

noun \ ˈej \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 2018

Examples: edge in a Sentence

Definition of edge

1 a : 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

2 a : 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

—

edgeless

adjective

— on edge

: anxious, nervous

See edge defined for English-language learners

See edge defined for kids

Examples of edge in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of edge from the Web

Give her the edge with Corey Lanerie picking up the mount.

— mike battaglia, The Courier-Journal, "Oddsmaker Mike Battaglia's free expert picks for Sunday at Churchill Downs," 9 June 2018
This gives him a certain edge over Mr. Branson and Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, who is overseeing Blue Origin.

— sheila marikar, New York Times, "The Rich Are Planning to Leave This Wretched Planet," 9 June 2018
Jean scored once in the first half to give Xaverian a 4-3 edge, but the lead was shortlived.

— jake levin, BostonGlobe.com, "A high five for Xaverian lacrosse in D1 South quarterfinal win," 9 June 2018
Their sophisticated tools are highly technical and highly accurate, and VEGA is always challenging itself to make more improvements to give its customers every edge.

— jessica levy, Cincinnati.com, "VEGA Americas promotes continuous improvement," 8 June 2018
Hungary had a host of talented players at their disposal, but what really gave them a decisive edge over their rivals was their innovative tactics.

— SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 7 Days to Go - What if Ferenc Puskas Had Been Fully Fit?," 7 June 2018
In the 25th District, GOP incumbent Rep. Steve Knight received 52.8% while his Democratic challengers got a combined 47.2%, giving the Republican a 5.6-point edge.

— karl rove, WSJ, "Will the ‘Blue Wave’ Break in California?," 6 June 2018
Combined with her ad campaign, that was enough to give her an edge over Bateson among primary voters.

— emily cadei, sacbee, "Winning Democrat faces huge climb to unseat Tom McClintock in Congress," 6 June 2018
Apps like Instagram, Uber, and Lyft were able to reach critical mass before competitors from other countries, giving the US an edge.

— klint finley, WIRED, "Does It Matter If China Beats the US to Build a 5G Network?," 6 June 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of edge

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, ²acid) 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, ²ear.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year