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

For an arc that culminates in Luffy’s multi-round battle with Crocodile — a fight that pushes him to the brink of death in the manga — that shift is essential. —Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026

That’s notable, with Johnston sitting on the brink of a franchise record. —Sportsday Staff, Dallas Morning News, 16 Mar. 2026

The crushing amount of what was owed was so dire that the city teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and its debt was downgraded to junk. —Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 16 Mar. 2026

On Friday in Sacramento, the magic that carried Valley Christian from a 9-15 regular season to the brink of a state title flickered one last time before finally running out. —Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2026