on the verge of

idiom

: at the point when (something) is about to happen or is very likely to happen
The company was on the verge of going bankrupt.
The child was on the verge of tears.
We were on the verge of divorce.

Examples of on the verge of in a Sentence

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Minnesota has lived through enough to recognize the warning signs of cities on the verge of explosion. Phil Morris The Minnesota Star Tribune, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2026 Others are also said to be on the verge of breaking down. Jermont Terry, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026 The Bruins were on the verge of contending in the Pac-12 before a late-season slide. Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026 In fact, the entire city of Tehran was in thrall to the notion that something was on the verge of happening, a rumour that had begun spreading earlier that day when several stalls at the bazaar were boarded up. Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for on the verge of

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Cite this Entry

“On the verge of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20verge%20of. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.

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