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on the verge of

idiom

Definition of on the verge of

: 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.

Word by Word Definitions

verge play

  1. : brink, threshold

  2. : something that borders, limits, or bounds: such as

  3. : an outer margin of an object or structural part

  1. : to be contiguous

  2. : to be on the verge or border

  1. : to move or tend toward the horizon : sink

  2. : to move or extend in some direction or toward some condition

  3. : to be in transition or change

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