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
In 1979's Mad Max and 1982's Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, starring Mel Gibson as the titular Max Rockatansky and set in the mid-1980s, Earth is still on the brink of total collapse.
—
Megan McCluskey, TIME, 22 May 2024
The Israeli offensive has also triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, displacing roughly 80% of the population and leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation, according to U.N. officials.
—Josef Federman, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2024
Since Beijing phased out a national subsidy program for EV purchases in 2022, some smaller manufacturers have been pushed to the brink.
—Pearl Liu, Fortune, 19 May 2024
Due to both internal and external forces, Stax was on the brink of disaster more than once.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2024
The whales, which can grow up to 52 feet long, were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries, and their populations have never recovered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
Fresh off a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars that put this Avalanche season that began with championship aspirations on the brink, the veteran defenseman did not hold back as well as some of his teammates.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
It was confirmed that Theresa Kurtz had melanoma and three severely abnormal moles that were on the brink of becoming melanoma.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 6 May 2024
Megan McCluskey, TIME, 22 May 2024
The Israeli offensive has also triggered a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, displacing roughly 80% of the population and leaving hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of starvation, according to U.N. officials.
—Josef Federman, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 May 2024
Since Beijing phased out a national subsidy program for EV purchases in 2022, some smaller manufacturers have been pushed to the brink.
—Pearl Liu, Fortune, 19 May 2024
Due to both internal and external forces, Stax was on the brink of disaster more than once.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2024
The whales, which can grow up to 52 feet long, were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries, and their populations have never recovered, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 14 May 2024
Fresh off a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars that put this Avalanche season that began with championship aspirations on the brink, the veteran defenseman did not hold back as well as some of his teammates.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024
Building on Season One’s epic scope and ambition, the new season plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024
It was confirmed that Theresa Kurtz had melanoma and three severely abnormal moles that were on the brink of becoming melanoma.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 6 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.
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Cite this Entry
“The brink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20brink. Accessed 27 May. 2024.
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