1
: a sharp wedge of steel or other hard material used as a fulcrum for a lever beam in a precision instrument
2
: a sharp narrow knifelike edge
Examples of knife-edge in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Hansen, the University of Chicago political scientist, said the Republican caucus has held up well over the last year, considering its knife-edge majority.
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Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
This is probably mostly right—studios’ appetite for risk keeps shrinking, sequels and reboots are favored over original films, and the days of out-of-control productions dancing on the knife-edge of catastrophe may well be behind us.
—Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
That scene, where Cain and Derek go conversationally toe-to-toe, is one of the film’s sharpest knife-edge moments.
—Craig McLean, Variety, 4 Dec. 2025
Its thin exosphere offers almost no protection from solar radiation, making this twilight boundary a literal knife-edge of danger.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Serbia travels to England, sat third in UEFA qualifying Group K, one point behind Albania, and with its qualification chances balanced on a knife-edge.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
The writing dances on a knife-edge as religious piety and saintly delusion rub elbows.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Even for athletes who’ve spent a lifetime climbing mountains, traversing sheer cliffs, balancing on knife-edge ridgelines, this fear never disappears.
—Outside Online, 5 Nov. 2025
The movie tries to pick up the threads of previous films, but, in attempting to make Myers more mystical, this film robs him of his knife-edge menace.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
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Daniel C. Vock, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
This is probably mostly right—studios’ appetite for risk keeps shrinking, sequels and reboots are favored over original films, and the days of out-of-control productions dancing on the knife-edge of catastrophe may well be behind us.
—Michael O’Donnell, The Atlantic, 10 Feb. 2026
That scene, where Cain and Derek go conversationally toe-to-toe, is one of the film’s sharpest knife-edge moments.
—Craig McLean, Variety, 4 Dec. 2025
Its thin exosphere offers almost no protection from solar radiation, making this twilight boundary a literal knife-edge of danger.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Nov. 2025
Serbia travels to England, sat third in UEFA qualifying Group K, one point behind Albania, and with its qualification chances balanced on a knife-edge.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025
The writing dances on a knife-edge as religious piety and saintly delusion rub elbows.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
Even for athletes who’ve spent a lifetime climbing mountains, traversing sheer cliffs, balancing on knife-edge ridgelines, this fear never disappears.
—Outside Online, 5 Nov. 2025
The movie tries to pick up the threads of previous films, but, in attempting to make Myers more mystical, this film robs him of his knife-edge menace.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knife-edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knife-edge. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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