How to Use the brink in a Sentence

the brink

noun
Definition of the brinknext
  • But in the hills above the city, two dams were on the brink of collapse.
    — Kareem Fahim, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023
  • At the same time, Colombia is on the brink of its vintage scene.
    — Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 22 Apr. 2024
  • He was found just in time: Ralston was on the brink of death from blood loss.
    — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics, 7 July 2023
  • The Green Bay Packers appear to be on the brink of greatness.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Twelve-year-olds are on the brink of their cool teenage years, yet sometimes long to be kids again.
    — Deanna McCormack, Parents, 19 Mar. 2024
  • Two hours later, the two hikers were found on the brink of death and rushed to the hospital.
    — Leyton Cassidy, Longreads, 7 May 2024
  • Boats in the harbor had burned up, and others were on the brink of explosion.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN, 11 Aug. 2023
  • This interview had me on the brink of tears, my goodness.
    — Stat Staff, STAT, 28 Oct. 2023
  • But not all hope is lost in this gripping story about a world on the brink of collapse.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2023
  • Usher may be on the brink of a touchdown in his personal life with a trip down the aisle.
    — USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
  • Massari, showing an artist on the brink of finding her voice.
    — Maha Elnabawi, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024
  • The winner is on the brink of making World Cup history.
    — Asif Burhan, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
  • But some businesses say the increases push them to the brink.
    — Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Feb. 2024
  • At the same time, there’s reason to believe that the bank simply had a bad quarter and is not on the brink of collapse.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024
  • And the Cross of North Alabama, once just an idea, is now on the brink of reality.
    — Paul Gattis | Pgattis@al.com, al, 9 Apr. 2023
  • The result is an industry on the brink, new data shows.
    — Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024
  • That conflict followed years of civil war that had already pushed the country to the brink.
    — Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2024
  • The defeat sucked the air out of a Rams team and organization on the brink of its biggest win of the season.
    — Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2023
  • Indianapolis needs Smith right now, right there on the brink of a playoff berth.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 3 Jan. 2024
  • Looney and Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges are the only players in the league on the brink of totaling 82-plus games in each of the past two seasons.
    — Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 Apr. 2023
  • The Bucks, who had taken Philadelphia to the brink in that series, could ill afford the loss.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2023
  • Three years on, the Southeast Asian nation is teetering on the brink of failed statehood.
    — Hannah Beech Adam Ferguson, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024
  • That has brought the world to the brink of destruction and has all eyes on another King of Iron Fist Tournament.
    — Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2024
  • Did the Aztecs claw to the brink of the shiniest of those musical and emotional shining moments?
    — Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Oct. 2023
  • One Russian magnate’s dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events that will take the world to the brink of chaos.
    — Charna Flam, Variety, 28 Sep. 2023
  • Gold was in his blood—his father was a skilled engraver of it—but the family was always on the brink of poverty.
    — Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
  • Much of the population is on the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
    — Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
  • For the first time, scientists have photographed a large, elusive rat that’s on the brink of extinction.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Nov. 2023
  • In the weeks after our conversation, Joe and Barbara seemed to pull themselves back from the brink.
    — Susan Dominus Kirsten Potter Anna Diamond Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 May 2024
  • The ongoing slump has sent the equities gauge to the brink of breaking through a critical 18-year trend line.
    — Bloomberg, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the brink.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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