Word.ws English Dictionary

on the brink

on the brink is the alternative form of on the brink of.

on the brink is the alternative form of on the edge.

Meaning of on the brink of

Preposition

on the brink of

  1. Very near, imminently approaching; ready to, about to.
    • on the brink of extinction

Meaning of on the edge

Prepositional phrase

  1. In a precarious position, with one's resources nearly exhausted.
    • Our job as social workers is to help families on the edge.
  2. In a state of excitement due to taking risks.
    • living on the edge
  3. (with-of) With figurative or temporal proximity to (an event, state of mind, etc.).
    • The stock market was on the edge of collapse.

Questions about on the brink

What is on the brink the alternative form of?
On the brink is the alternative form of on the brink of.

Words near on the brink in the dictionary

  1. on the bounce
  2. on the bow
  3. on the brain
  4. on the breadline
  5. on the brew
  6. on the brink
  7. on the brink of
  8. on the bubble
  9. on the bum
  10. on the bung
  11. on the burst

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on the brink (page history and authors); on the brink of (page history and authors); on the edge (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “on the brink.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on_the_brink. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.