brink Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a region marking a boundary
    threshold; verge.
  2. noun the edge of a steep place
  3. noun the limit beyond which something happens or changes
    verge.
    • on the verge of tears
    • on the brink of bankruptcy

WordNet

Brink noun
Etymology
Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.
Definitions
  1. The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. "The brink of vice." Bp. Porteus. "The brink of ruin." Burke.
    The plashy brink of weedy lake. Bryant.

Webster 1913