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

Cuba has been pushed to the brink by an oil blockade imposed by the United States in January on top of a decades-old embargo, coupled with the escalating sanctions. — Edith M. Lederer, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

At the time, spending on massive pensions for public employees — especially public-safety officials — was consuming larger chunks of the state budget and pushing localities to the brink of bankruptcy. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 21 Aug. 2026

The pipeline has produced concrete outcomes, transforming the company from one on the brink of a patent expiration to one that is constructing a dependable pathway for steady earnings growth. — Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

The peregrine falcon, the world’s fastest bird once pushed to the brink of extinction in the United States, has recovered enough to be taken off the endangered species list. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for the brink

• bethink
• downlink
• groupthink
• hoodwink
• rethink
• uplink
• blink
• chink
• cinque
• clink
• dink
• drink