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
However, the federal government is on the brink of a shutdown, with funding set to lapse this Friday if a new spending bill isn't approved.
—
Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
In episode four of Season 3 of the HBO dramedy satire show, Timothy Ratliff’s empire is on the brink of collapse after the feds caught on with his company’s money laundering and bribery.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Mar. 2025
The Argentine military is now ramping up efforts to combat these fishing operations in a region experts warn is on the brink of environmental collapse.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
The popular program that gives hundreds of thousands of Dreamers temporary legal status — DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — has been teetering on the brink of disappearing.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
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Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025
In episode four of Season 3 of the HBO dramedy satire show, Timothy Ratliff’s empire is on the brink of collapse after the feds caught on with his company’s money laundering and bribery.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 10 Mar. 2025
The Argentine military is now ramping up efforts to combat these fishing operations in a region experts warn is on the brink of environmental collapse.
—Avery Schmitz, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
The popular program that gives hundreds of thousands of Dreamers temporary legal status — DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — has been teetering on the brink of disappearing.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the brink
Cite this Entry
“The brink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20brink. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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