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
International officials say hundreds of thousands of people are on the brink of famine.
—
Leo Correa and Ami Bentov, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2024
The Nazis, barely seen in S1, have been working behind the scenes, slowly gaining influence and power as Germany hurtles towards the brink.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2024
Tuesday weather forecast:Historic floods push Minnesota dam on the brink of failure; heatwave bakes Central US
Michigan power outage map
As of 10:09 a.m.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
And in 2020 that same fanbase organized boat parades and automobile and truck convoys that carried Trump to the brink of a second term.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the brink 
Leo Correa and Ami Bentov, The Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2024
The Nazis, barely seen in S1, have been working behind the scenes, slowly gaining influence and power as Germany hurtles towards the brink.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 June 2024
Tuesday weather forecast:Historic floods push Minnesota dam on the brink of failure; heatwave bakes Central US
Michigan power outage map
As of 10:09 a.m.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
And in 2020 that same fanbase organized boat parades and automobile and truck convoys that carried Trump to the brink of a second term.
—Matthew Continetti, National Review, 22 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for the brink
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the brink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the brink
Cite this Entry
“The brink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20brink. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share