on a/the knife-edge

phrase

: in a dangerous or important situation in which two very different results are possible

The election results hung on a knife-edge.

a region resting on a knife-edge after several wars

living on the knife-edge of poverty

Examples of on a/the knife-edge in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The thin majority, coupled with growing anger and outspoken criticism from some Senate Republicans aimed at DHS and the administration's federal crackdown, has the future of the funding package on a knife-edge. — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 26 Jan. 2026

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

The dramatic breakthrough signaled the potential end of a conflict that reverberated around the world and set the region on a knife-edge, drawing in combatants from Lebanon, Iran, and Yemen. — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 9 Oct. 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

The Old Trafford knockout nights were memorable, the second legs against Real Sociedad and Lyon each starting on a knife-edge after away draws. — Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 21 May 2025