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Glite Dictionary
to live on the edge

to live on the edge

11 7.4
Lead a life full of risk and excitement by doing dangerous things
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : vivir al límite
  • Many thrill-seekers choose to live on the edge by skydiving or bungee jumping.
  • people who live on the edge
  • always live on the edge
  • already live on the edge

And they just really want to live on the edge.

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Examples

  • He really likes living on the edge.

    Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)

  • "You do like living on the edge," I said, sipping my water.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • I mean, they lived on the edge, man.

    Florian's Knights (2021)

  • Feel like living on the edge?

    Evan Almighty (2007)

  • You know, and I love to take risks and I love to live on the edge.

    Casey (2017)

  • I pray that our efforts will help to improve the lives of those who live on the edge.

    Blog text (28)

  • Because I'm the kind of guy that likes to live on the edge.

    The Sure Thing (1985)

  • I have no doubt that Harley acted irresponsibly, but his kind lives on the edge, always willing to take a chance.

    Hot Shots! (1991)

  • I've observed that people tend to live at one of two extremes in the spectrum of life: those who live on the edge, and those who avoid the edge.

    Blog text (28)

  • Here was a chance to live on the edge, be dangerous and mindless as teenagers—does everything have to be so serious all the time?

    Fiction book (2002)

Synonyms

to take risks
vsto live on the edge
56 3.2

Do things that might be dangerous to get something important

involves ongoing choice of danger and excitement rather than goal-driven risk
to walk on the wild side
vsto live on the edge
  • Informal
1 8.2

To do risky, adventurous things outside your usual life

follows a constant risky and exciting lifestyle rather than occasional adventure
to walk on a razor's edge
vsto live on the edge
  • Informal
8.6

To be in a very dangerous situation where a small mistake causes big harm

opts for a risky, exciting lifestyle rather than a single immediate crisis
to walk on the high rope
vsto live on the edge
  • Informal
8.6

To be in a risky situation that needs great care to avoid failure

chooses ongoing risky excitement rather than carefully balancing a single situation

Antonyms

to play it safe
42 3.4

Choose a careful option to avoid risks

How Risky

to live on the edge
  • Informal
11 7.4
to take risks
56 3.2

Surface Forms

live on the edge infinitive
lived on the edge past
lived on the edge past participle
living on the edge present participle
lives on the edge third person singular

Morphology

live + on + the + edge

The phrase combines literal constituents ('live' + 'on the edge') so a learner can infer a metaphorical sense of living at a boundary or limit; this helps derive the idea of risky or extreme behavior. However, the mapping from 'edge' to 'danger/excitement' is figurative rather than strictly compositional, so the precise connotations require some exposure (cross-linguistic parallels like Spanish 'vivir al límite' make the metaphor accessible but not fully literal).

Etymology

Live on the edge may come from the image of someone who actually lives on the edge of a cliff or roof, where one small step could drop them into danger. So, it now means 'to live with a lot of risk and excitement'.