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
The group has also seen a significant increase in the number of families on the brink of eviction that arrive seeking help, Lewis said.
—
Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
As the 1960s turned into the 1970s, Philadelphia’s soul music scene was on the brink of exploding onto the national stage.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 9 May 2024
The relief is desperately needed, with the United Nations saying people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and as Israeli troops have ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
—Menelaos Hadjicostis and Sam Mednick, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
As of 2023, the Mexican wolf population stood at 257, a big gain for a species that was on the brink of extinction.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 8 May 2024
Bats at the brink Estonia is a small nation tucked between Finland, Latvia and Russia, against a bend in the Baltic Sea.
—Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2024
Two hours later, the two hikers were found on the brink of death and rushed to the hospital.
—Leyton Cassidy, Longreads, 7 May 2024
More than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with many of the area’s 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation, following Hamas’ kidnapping of more than 200 hostages and killing of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 7 May 2024
In the weeks after our conversation, Joe and Barbara seemed to pull themselves back from the brink.
—Susan Dominus Kirsten Potter Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 May 2024
Paloma Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2024
As the 1960s turned into the 1970s, Philadelphia’s soul music scene was on the brink of exploding onto the national stage.
—John Morrison, SPIN, 9 May 2024
The relief is desperately needed, with the United Nations saying people in Gaza are on the brink of famine and as Israeli troops have ordered the evacuation of 100,000 Palestinians from Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
—Menelaos Hadjicostis and Sam Mednick, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
As of 2023, the Mexican wolf population stood at 257, a big gain for a species that was on the brink of extinction.
—Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 8 May 2024
Bats at the brink Estonia is a small nation tucked between Finland, Latvia and Russia, against a bend in the Baltic Sea.
—Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 May 2024
Two hours later, the two hikers were found on the brink of death and rushed to the hospital.
—Leyton Cassidy, Longreads, 7 May 2024
More than 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza, with many of the area’s 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation, following Hamas’ kidnapping of more than 200 hostages and killing of 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
—Nik Popli, TIME, 7 May 2024
In the weeks after our conversation, Joe and Barbara seemed to pull themselves back from the brink.
—Susan Dominus Kirsten Potter Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 May 2024
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 16 May. 2024.
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