the brink

noun

: the edge at the top of a steep cliff

—usually used figuratively to refer to a point that is very close to the occurrence of something very bad or (less commonly) very good

He nearly lost everything because of his drug addiction, but his friends helped to pull him back from the brink.

The two nations are on the brink of war.

Doctors may be on the brink of finding a cure for this disease.

an animal that has been brought/pulled back from the brink of extinction

Examples of the brink in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The two-hour, two-act play begins in El Salvador on the brink of a deadly civil war in 1978. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026

The Trojans are surging to start Andy Stankiewicz’s third season as coach, and if the pitching continues to be this good, USC could be on the brink of a breakthrough campaign. —Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026

After Stockton registered an escape in the second period to extend the lead to 4-0, Dyes was on the brink of swinging the momentum of the match with about 90 seconds left. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Feb. 2026

But America now appears to be on the brink of war with Iran again. —Nancy A. Youssef, The Atlantic, 21 Feb. 2026