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Glite Dictionary
on the brink of

on the brink of

52 4.5
Very close to something important or dangerous happening
  • idiom
translation icon : al borde de
  • After years of hard work, she is on the brink of achieving her dream.
  • on the brink of extinction
  • on the brink of collapse
  • on the brink of war

The Irish Free State was on the brink of civil war.

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Examples

  • Our countries are on the brink of war.

    Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

  • Given the state of AI and quantum computing, do you think that we're on the brink of human immortality?

  • I think the main thing with China right now is, you know, we're on the brink of war with China for various reasons.

  • The Irish Free State was on the brink of civil war.

    The Great War

  • Now, however, we are on the brink of a new revolution.

    Academic text (1992)

  • And it's only now when we arguably are on the brink of global war.

    André Duqum

  • Jamaica is on the brink of civil war.

    Bob Marley: One Love (2024)

  • Just over a decade ago, we were on the brink of complete financial ruin.

    Mel Robbins

  • We may be on the brink of a historic agreement between Western and Arab leaders.

    Vantage Point (2008)

  • I'm on the brink of a great achievement.

    The Black Hole (1979)

Synonyms

on the verge of
vson the brink of
144 3.8

Very close to doing or feeling something

focuses more on risky or life changing moments than simple imminence
on the edge of
vson the brink of
20 3.9

Very close to achieving something important

highlights nearness with extra sense of danger or decisive change
on the cusp of
vson the brink of
9 6.0

Close to reaching something important, like success or a big discovery

is about closeness that involves risk or a decisive outcome
on the point of
vson the brink of
4 3.6

About to do something very soon

leans toward critical outcomes or risky change rather than mere immediate action
at the threshold
vson the brink of
3 4.2

About to begin something new or important

carries a stronger sense of danger or decisive tipping point than a simple start

Antonyms

faraway
34 2.8

Far from here in place or time

How Close

on the verge of
144 3.8
on the brink of
52 4.5
impending
55 4.0
near
240 1.0

Surface Forms

on the brink of main

Morphology

on + the + brink + of

The phrase is compositionally built from 'on' (locative), 'brink' (edge/critical point) and 'of' (linking to the event), so a learner who knows these words can infer being 'at the edge of' something and thus 'very close to' an outcome. This locative/edge metaphor is cross-linguistically common (e.g. Spanish al borde de, French au bord de), so the meaning is readily predictable for B1 learners.

Etymology

On the brink of comes from the image of standing on the brink, the very edge of a cliff. When you stand there you are almost falling, so the phrase came to mean 'very close to' something important or risky.