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
In the animal rescue video, the horse is seen lying on his side on the edge of the pond, clearly struggling.
—
Li Cohen, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Some drank iced teas, some beers, and some kept bottles of wine sitting on the edge of their tables at the ready.
—The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
That means some cities on the edge of the route that were expecting to experience a second or two of total darkness might be left out.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
The total solar eclipse on April 8 has the country totally on the edge of its seat.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The game was ugly, with thirty turnovers between the two teams, including several at key moments—plus questionable officiating and a level of physicality that seemed on the edge of chaos.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Settlers soon installed a camera on a watchtower on the edge of Shilo, about 60 feet from his home.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
This is a fine line on the edge of anthropomorphizing AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Tuesday's judgment means Assange remains in legal limbo, in a high-security prison on the edge of London.
—Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024
Li Cohen, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
Some drank iced teas, some beers, and some kept bottles of wine sitting on the edge of their tables at the ready.
—The Enquirer, 9 Apr. 2024
That means some cities on the edge of the route that were expecting to experience a second or two of total darkness might be left out.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 6 Apr. 2024
The total solar eclipse on April 8 has the country totally on the edge of its seat.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The game was ugly, with thirty turnovers between the two teams, including several at key moments—plus questionable officiating and a level of physicality that seemed on the edge of chaos.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
Settlers soon installed a camera on a watchtower on the edge of Shilo, about 60 feet from his home.
—Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
This is a fine line on the edge of anthropomorphizing AI.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Tuesday's judgment means Assange remains in legal limbo, in a high-security prison on the edge of London.
—Fatima Al-Kassab, NPR, 26 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the edge of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near 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 24 Apr. 2024.
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