on the edge of
idiom
: very close to (something)
a species on the edge of extinction
The company was teetering on the edge of disaster/bankruptcy.
He was on the edge of saying something when the phone rang.
Examples of on the edge of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Palace’s super-strength is low crosses provided by flying wing-backs, when they can be released, running into space on the edge of the box.
—
Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Week 9 brings the return of Lamar Jackson, another Mahomes–Allen duel, and hopefully a few games that actually keep us on the edge of our seats.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
She's expected to make a full recovery After a 37-year-old woman who was missing for days was heard crying for help, she was discovered safe, but stuck in the mud among mangroves on the edge of a Florida river.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
In just the past decade, late-night shows’ bookings—a reliable rite of passage for musical artists on the edge of a breakthrough—have dropped significantly, to barely 200 performances in 2023.
—Jonathan Garrett, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
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Liam Tharme, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2025
Week 9 brings the return of Lamar Jackson, another Mahomes–Allen duel, and hopefully a few games that actually keep us on the edge of our seats.
—Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
She's expected to make a full recovery After a 37-year-old woman who was missing for days was heard crying for help, she was discovered safe, but stuck in the mud among mangroves on the edge of a Florida river.
—Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
In just the past decade, late-night shows’ bookings—a reliable rite of passage for musical artists on the edge of a breakthrough—have dropped significantly, to barely 200 performances in 2023.
—Jonathan Garrett, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for on the edge of
Cite this Entry
“On the edge of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20edge%20of. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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