Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The upper edge of a steep or vertical slope: the brink of a cliff.
- n. The margin of land bordering a body of water.
- n. The point at which something is likely to begin; the verge: "Time and again the monarchs and statesmen of Europe approached the brink of conflict” ( W. Bruce Lincoln). See Synonyms at border.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice or the bank of a river; verge; hence, close proximity: as, “the precipice's brink,”
- n. to be on the brink of ruin.
- n. Synonyms See rim.
Wiktionary
- n. The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also used figuratively.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border. Also Fig.
WordNet 3.0
- n. the edge of a steep place
- n. a region marking a boundary
- n. the limit beyond which something happens or changes
Etymologies
- From Middle English brinke, from Proto-Germanic *brenkaz (compare Dutch brink ‘grassland’, German dialect Brunkel, Icelandic brekka ‘slope’), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰren- ‘project’ (compare Tocharian B prenke ‘island’, Irish braine ‘prow’). (Wiktionary)
- Middle English, probably of Scandinavian origin . (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Kevin Nolan double puts Newcastle on the title brink”
“The only way we will move away from this brink is one step at at time …”
Think Progress » Lieberman Gets A Chuckle Out Of Peddling Far-Right Nuke Myth
“The only way we will move away from this brink is one step at at time, and no amount of wishful thinking is going to change that.”
Think Progress » Lieberman Gets A Chuckle Out Of Peddling Far-Right Nuke Myth
“Bahrain’s foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Khalifa, justified the deadly crackdown saying it was necessary because demonstrators were pushing the country to what he characterized as the "brink of a sectarian abyss.”
Voice of America: Bahrain Opposition Rejects Calls for Government Dialogue
“The story of how AIG was pulled back from the brink is a tale of trial and error, of a determined but sometimes precarious effort to find an exit from the most momentous of all Wall Street bailouts.”
The Washington Post: AIG, a symbol of financial crisis, repays bailout loan and finds new foothold
“The call-up for the England squad of Wolves' Matt Jarvis might even suggest that living close to the brink is the making of some footballers.”
The Guardian: Fear of failure adds worth and wonder to winter buys | Kevin McCarra
“Whether it's the DVDs that you can buy for a couple of bucks on streets from Lahore to Los Angeles, or the movies and series that anyone can download for free, the top reason they believe their businesses are on the brink is the theft of their intellectual property.”
The Huffington Post: Marty Kaplan: The End of Hollywood as We Know It
“Insofar as evolution is concerned, maybe teetering on the brink is a good thing, the researchers speculate.”
“Near the brink was a thicket of box in which a trunk lay prostrate; this had been once or twice their trysting-place, though it was by no means”
“Fiery play by R. Wallace sparks Pistons to title brink”
USATODAY.com - Fiery play by R. Wallace sparks Pistons to title brink
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘brink’.
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hunting
crudely, unequivocal, obsolete, obscure, overtly, misdeed, shack, inherent, outcry, hefty, composed, poised and 318 more...
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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RELI - Genesis
Protagonists and relevant words in the Book of Creation (Source: King James Bible)
Laban, circumcise, beget, Esau, Rebekah, speckle, Sodom, Pharaoh, Canaanite, Canaan, Jacob, Lot and 1286 more...
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MANY A WORD!
This is just a list, right, that I'm gonna, like, fill with words, that, like, are every word that I can, like, think of with, ahhmm, my brain.
and, able, art, ass, algebra, amp, ankle, booze, bong, aura, bling, bright and 134 more...
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bad memory
copper, anvil, oblique, thrust, shrine, welfare, farewell, bitter, faction, sectarian, tangible, spectacle and 134 more...
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Thresholds
we are all just passing through.
(boundaries, portals and liminal spaces/times)cockcrow, interface, thin line, portal, postern, littoral, interstice, port, membrane, skin, crepuscule, dawn and 304 more...
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Hence
Words with definitions that have a "hence" in them.
hanger, Deet, tripe, spindlelegs, fiddle, store, pluck, snap, villain, link, comedy, particular and 410 more...
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catalysts
catalysts leading to action.
aka the inciting incident, point of attack there's no major rules here, broad umbrella terms or specific works for now.
( randomness, writing )trauma, death, tragedy, embarrassment, epiphany, move, literature, brink, poll numbers, innovation, injustice, another headspace and 44 more...
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Pigment of Your Imagination
Mix and match the phonemes in colors!
bleen, grue, grink, blurple, silvorange, grack, lavendeen, blundigo, yelled, violink, blink, rue and 44 more...
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verge
Century Dictionary
n. A rod, or something in the form of a rod or staff, carried as an emblem of authority or ensign of office; the mace of a bishop, dean, or other functionary.
brink, brim, zapatera, potance, cusp, edge, precipice, threshold, marge, viaticum, presque vu, selvage and 4 more...
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Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV
Words from the songs of Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis
zugzwang, valhalla, montalvo, ishist, tritons, mosh, siam, llano del rio, protohuman, tumbleweeds, ludwigshafen, ballyhoos and 349 more...
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GCI
spinster, maiden, happy-go-lucky, homonym, ill-at-ease, saw red, out of sorts, hot under the collar, taken aback, pen-names, alias, shoelaces and 378 more...
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strangelyrouge's Words
glockenspiel, gewgaw, jetsam, flotsam, gripe, grab, wench, whilst, betwixt, hither, thither, yonder and 1034 more...
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Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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liminal words
transformational, entryway words: thresh(hold), fresh relief
liminal, sill, threshold, aletheia, inscape, adit, introit, maze, pore, porism, portal, port and 114 more...
Tweets
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