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
Recent Examples on the Web
So far the episodes have seen the hosts sharing some serious dirt, including that Kimmel was on the verge of retiring before the WGA strike began and that Colbert is in possession of a former dictator’s pants.
—
Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2023
Conservative Republicans are on the verge of triggering a government shutdown in nine days.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
With the first-round on the verge of ending, keep reading to find out how to watch the WNBA Playoff games with and without a cable subscription.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2023
Two years later, their turnaround is on the verge of being unprecedented.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 18 Sep. 2023
Baghramian’s stones, by contrast, seem on the verge of returning to nature.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Boston is also on the verge of breaking McCowan's rookie offensive rebound record.
—Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Aug. 2023
Portland is on the verge of giving its residents new power to discipline police, including officers who shoot and kill civilians, and the people tapped by city leaders to establish this oversight system used an equally uncommon tool to get to this point.
—oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023
This year, See-Saw Films has brought two movies to TIFF, including James Hawes’ One Life, where Anthony Hopkins stars as a British stockbroker who helped rescue hundreds of children from Europe on the verge of the Second World War.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2023
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Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 21 Sep. 2023
Conservative Republicans are on the verge of triggering a government shutdown in nine days.
—Sahil Kapur, NBC News, 21 Sep. 2023
With the first-round on the verge of ending, keep reading to find out how to watch the WNBA Playoff games with and without a cable subscription.
—Rudie Obias, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Sep. 2023
Two years later, their turnaround is on the verge of being unprecedented.
—Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 18 Sep. 2023
Baghramian’s stones, by contrast, seem on the verge of returning to nature.
—Roberta Smith, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Boston is also on the verge of breaking McCowan's rookie offensive rebound record.
—Chloe Peterson, The Indianapolis Star, 25 Aug. 2023
Portland is on the verge of giving its residents new power to discipline police, including officers who shoot and kill civilians, and the people tapped by city leaders to establish this oversight system used an equally uncommon tool to get to this point.
—oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023
This year, See-Saw Films has brought two movies to TIFF, including James Hawes’ One Life, where Anthony Hopkins stars as a British stockbroker who helped rescue hundreds of children from Europe on the verge of the Second World War.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the verge 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 verge of
Cite this Entry
“On the verge of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20verge%20of. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.
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