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verge

verge

159 3.7
The edge of a place or situation where something is about to happen
  • noun
  • /vɜrdʒ/
translation icon : borde
  • We are on the verge of discovering a new planet that could support life.
  • on the verge of collapse
  • on the verge of extinction
  • on the verge of bankruptcy

My youngest is confused, starts crying, my wife's on the verge of tears.

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Examples

  • Newlyweds on the verge of divorce, married just three months.

  • You are on the verge of making a big mistake right now.

  • This place that we all live in and love is on the verge of a nuclear war.

  • Do you think that is going to continue to be the case going forward, or are we on the verge of something different?

  • But we're on the verge of our greatest breakthrough.

  • I'm on the verge of solving this case.

  • About 80 percent of industrial enterprises in Russia are on the verge of closing for environmental reasons.

    Academic text (1993)
  • There was a rumor that OXE was on the verge of some kind of big breakthrough.

  • The crew, they're on the verge of mutiny.

  • But the fledgling industry is on the verge of becoming a full-scale enterprise.

    Academic text (1991)

Synonyms

brink
vsverge
127 5.7

A point when an important or dangerous change is about to happen

is a broader edge or margin not only used for sudden events
threshold
vsverge
118 4.2

The point when something begins or changes into a new state

is a simple edge or margin concept not only a level or start
cusp
vsverge
16 6.3

A point in time when something is about to change

is more general as an edge or point rather than a single moment

Idioms

144 3.8

Very close to doing or feeling something

How Close

brink
127 5.7
threshold
118 4.2
cusp
16 6.3
verge
159 3.7
edge
1.0
margin
33 3.6

Surface Forms

verge singular
verges plural

Etymology

Verge comes from Latin virga 'rod' used to mark a boundary, so the word grew to mean an 'edge' or 'brink'. That's why being on the verge of something means being at the point where it is about to happen.