- 1the brink (of something) if you are on the brink of something, you are almost in a very new, dangerous, or exciting situation on the brink of collapse/war/death/disaster Scientists are on the brink of making a major new discovery. He's pulled the company back from the brink (= he has saved it from disaster). He was finally pushed over the brink (= he became crazy) when he lost his daughter . teetering/poised/hovering on the brink
- 2(literary) the extreme edge of land, for example at the top of a cliff or by a river the brink of the precipice Idioms
to be very close to a very unpleasant or dangerous situation The country is teetering on the brink of civil war.
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