edge

noun \ ˈej \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 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

Wiry and muscular, he was invariably dressed in a buckskin suit, fringed at the edges, with a deerskin cap ornamented with a fox tail.

— gary kamiya, SFChronicle.com, "The original Grizzly Adams kept his bears on a chain in SF," 7 July 2018
The first bendable screens went into curved TVs and phones that round at the edges.

— geoffrey a. fowler, chicagotribune.com, "Whoa! Meet the future phones that fold up, have 9 cameras and charge over thin air.," 6 July 2018
The first bendable screens went into curved TVs and phones that round at the edges.

— geoffrey fowler, courant.com, "Future Phones: They Fold Like Napkins, Have 9 Cameras, Charge Over Thin Air," 6 July 2018
Usually ticks populate wooded areas, but this year they are being spotted in backyards and at the grassy edges of gardens.

— jennifer walter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "The Tick App offers resources to identify, remove ticks as part of Lyme disease study," 3 July 2018
The humidity of sweltering Washington D.C. would soften the adhesive at the edges of the Declaration.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "The Science of Saving the Declaration of Independence," 3 July 2018
Mexico has played at the edges of a deeply satisfying World Cup run for a generation and more, yet never quite gotten there.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Mexico's World Cup run was fun – but it was a failure," 2 July 2018
The first bendable screens went into curved TVs and phones that round at the edges.

— geoffrey fowler, Philly.com, "Whoa! Meet the future phones that fold up, have 9 cameras, and charge over thin air," 1 July 2018
Free movement can be blurred at the edges, as other countries have managed.

— The Economist, "Hard Brexit is unravelling," 28 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

edge Synonyms

edge

verb

Definition of edge

edged; edging

transitive verb

1 a : 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

See edge defined for English-language learners

Examples of edge in a Sentence

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 of edge from the Web

West Hills beat host La Jolla in one semifinal and Santana edged Serra in the other.

— john maffei, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Talent and heart show in summer league passing tournaments," 12 July 2018
Gaviria won Stage 4 after edging world champion Peter Sagan in a sprint finish to the flat 195-kilometer (121-mile) leg from La Baule to Sarzeau that started and finished on the Atlantic coast.

— joseph wilson, BostonGlobe.com, "Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria wins Stage 4 of Tour de France," 10 July 2018
China’s official nonmanufacturing PMI, which includes the construction sector, edged up to 55.0 in June from 54.9 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said Saturday.

— WSJ, "China Caixin Services PMI Rises to Four-Month High," 3 July 2018
There was even a chance for Nicolas Otamendi right at the death, but France did hold on and edged Argentina in a thriller and booked their place in the quarter finals of the World Cup.

— SI.com, "France 4-3 Argentina: Kylian Mbappé Stars as Les Bleus Overcome La Albiceleste in Last 16 Thriller," 30 June 2018
The impersonality and spontaneity of social media, which are edging out newspapers in news delivery, is fuelling the trend.

— The Economist, "American political rhetoric is sliding towards the sewer," 21 June 2018
Hall was named the NHL's most valuable player Wednesday night, becoming the first New Jersey player to win the award after edging Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon in a close vote.

— greg beacham, Houston Chronicle, "Devils' Taylor Hall wins NHL MVP award," 20 June 2018
The Bluebirds won their first four playoff games by an aggregate score of 53-2 before edging Covington Catholic in walkoff fashion in the Ninth Region final (3-2), then rallying from behind to beat South Oldham in the state round of 16 (4-2).

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "Highlands baseball prepares for McCracken County in KHSAA State Baseball Tournament," 14 June 2018
Turner was edged by Batavia’s Sam Conger in the 110 high hurdles but came back to take sixth in the 300 intermediate hurdles before anchoring the final relay.

— rick armstrong, Naperville Sun, "Second to none: Neuqua Valley rides four runner-up finishes to program's first Class 3A boys track state title," 29 May 2018