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
But with the mood in the Islamic Republic increasingly tense, and the country potentially on the brink of a resumption of war, all but the hardline official messaging seems to be drowned out.
—
Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Collins and Maff were each on the brink of winning the belts with the cage door open.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Buffalo is coming off a dominant 8-3 win to push this series to the brink.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 18 May 2026
On the brink of despair, the legendary craftsman transforms his grief into an unyielding drive for vengeance.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for the brink
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 18 May 2026
Collins and Maff were each on the brink of winning the belts with the cage door open.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 18 May 2026
Buffalo is coming off a dominant 8-3 win to push this series to the brink.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 18 May 2026
On the brink of despair, the legendary craftsman transforms his grief into an unyielding drive for vengeance.
—Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 May 2026
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 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
