edge

noun

\ 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

Part of what's remarkable about this pearl is the cutting edge science that went into verifying its age and provenance. — Stellene Volandes, Town & Country, "A Rare Natural Pearl That Once Belonged to a Spanish Princess Is For Sale," 14 May 2019 From the feathered edges to the way the train flows, Cardi was basically a walking uterus. — Brittney Mcnamara, Teen Vogue, "Cardi B's Met Gala 2019 Outfit Is Basically an Ode to Menstruation," 7 May 2019 Oh my God, my baby, someone threw him over the edge. — Jeff Baenen, The Seattle Times, "Child attack suspect had previous Mall of America arrests," 13 Apr. 2019 If the winds grew too strong, the spire would tip over the edge of the building, fall down more than 70 stories and crash onto the streets below. — Jonathan Schifman, Popular Mechanics, "A Friendship Turned to Rivalry. A Feud That Changed the New York Skyline.," 27 Mar. 2019 That decision to basically throw the Kurds under the bus without even having the decency to give them a heads-up seems to have been what finally pushed Mattis over the edge. — Jen Kirby, Vox, "Mattis’s resignation was a scathing indictment of Trump’s foreign policy," 21 Dec. 2018 That was just another notch that took it over the edge. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Axios’ Jonathan Swan explains what the press gets wrong about the Trump administration," 6 Dec. 2018 Duke: The Blue Devils have had too many tentative stretches in their first two games, but their overwhelming talent edge saved them against North Dakota State in the opening round and UCF in this one. — Pete Iacobelli, The Seattle Times, "Williamson, Duke survive UCF’s late misses, reach Sweet 16," 25 Mar. 2019 Bake, rotating the positions of the pans halfway through, until cookies are lightly golden brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Egg Puzzle Cookies," 7 Mar. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Lincoln also won the first week of the San Diego State Tournament as well as the Tony Jefferson Classic, again edging Torrey Pines. — John Maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Talent and heart show in summer league passing tournaments," 12 July 2018 So is Mary Glassman, the former Simsbury first selectman who edged Hayes for endorsement in the 5th Congressional District. — Neil Vigdor, courant.com, "Ganim Hopes Women On Ballot Next To Him Will Boost His Chances On Primary Day," 9 July 2018 Navy’s eight-man varsity crew wins the Olympic rowing trials in Syracuse, N.Y., edging favored California by one length and earning a trip to the Summer Games in Rome under first-year coach Lou Lindsey. — Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "The Sun Remembers: This Week in Maryland Sports History, July 8-14," 8 July 2018 Mandatory evacuations were ordered for about 3,000 people as the fire edged into residential areas. — Robert Gearty, Fox News, "Firefighters battle to contain wildfires sweeping through California," 7 July 2018 So are the potato pancakes, a bit thick but in a traditional batter and appealingly crisp-edged. — Carol Deptolla, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "International flavors, down at the corner bar, are an American experience," 3 July 2018 Ellis, a Lynn University basketball recruit, edged out McHenry senior Maki Mohr for his first state championship. — Bob Narang, Lake County News-Sun, "The height of success: Warren's Branden Ellis and Grant's Jason Thormo win state titles," 27 May 2018 Attitudes to management, as to work, are double-edged. — The Economist, "Introducing Bartleby, our new column on management and work," 26 May 2018 Doubling down: Huntley edged Cary-Grove 137-129 last week to take the Fox Valley Conference title and complete a county-conference sweep. — Rick Armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, "Girls track notes: Neuqua Valley's MiKenna Robinson sets up plan to make state in 800 and 200," 8 May 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.

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.