1
: a sharp wedge of steel or other hard material used as a fulcrum for a lever beam in a precision instrument
2
: a sharp narrow knifelike edge
Examples of knife-edge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Its thin exosphere offers almost no protection from solar radiation, making this twilight boundary a literal knife-edge of danger.
—
Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Serbia travels to England, sat third in UEFA qualifying Group K, one point behind Albania, and with its qualification chances balanced on a knife-edge.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
The writing dances on a knife-edge as religious piety and saintly delusion rub elbows.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Even for athletes who’ve spent a lifetime climbing mountains, traversing sheer cliffs, balancing on knife-edge ridgelines, this fear never disappears.
—Outside Online, 5 Nov. 2025
The movie tries to pick up the threads of previous films, but, in attempting to make Myers more mystical, this film robs him of his knife-edge menace.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
The 8 billion-year-old sun will push Earth to a similar, climatic knife-edge.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Vintage variation shifts my preferences, but the combination of knife-edge acidity, tropical fruit, and herbal complexity makes these worthy additions to the cellar.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
But the battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris remains on a knife-edge and the pressure will only increase from here.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
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Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Serbia travels to England, sat third in UEFA qualifying Group K, one point behind Albania, and with its qualification chances balanced on a knife-edge.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
The writing dances on a knife-edge as religious piety and saintly delusion rub elbows.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Even for athletes who’ve spent a lifetime climbing mountains, traversing sheer cliffs, balancing on knife-edge ridgelines, this fear never disappears.
—Outside Online, 5 Nov. 2025
The movie tries to pick up the threads of previous films, but, in attempting to make Myers more mystical, this film robs him of his knife-edge menace.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
The 8 billion-year-old sun will push Earth to a similar, climatic knife-edge.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
Vintage variation shifts my preferences, but the combination of knife-edge acidity, tropical fruit, and herbal complexity makes these worthy additions to the cellar.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
But the battle between Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris remains on a knife-edge and the pressure will only increase from here.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knife-edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knife-edge. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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