brink

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brink

(brĭngk)

a. The upper edge of a steep or vertical slope: the brink of a cliff. See Synonyms at border.

b. The margin of land bordering a body of water.

2. The point at which something is likely to begin; the verge: "Time and again the monarchs and statesmen of Europe approached the brink of conflict" (W. Bruce Lincoln).

[Middle English brinke, probably of Scandinavian origin ; akin to Swedish brink brink, steep hillside, steep riverbank, and Middle Low German brink, hillside, grassland.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

brink

(brɪŋk)

1. the edge, border, or verge of a steep place: the brink of the precipice.

2. the highest point; top: the sun fell below the brink of the hill.

3. (Physical Geography) the land at the edge of a body of water

4. the verge of an event or state: the brink of disaster.

[C13: from Middle Dutch brinc, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse brekka slope, Middle Low German brink edge of a field]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

brink

(brɪŋk)

n.

1. the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.

2. any extreme edge; verge.

3. a critical point beyond which something will occur: on the brink of disaster.

[1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse (Dan)]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	brink - a region marking a boundary verge, threshold bound, boundary, edge - a line determining the limits of an area
	2.	brink - the edge of a steep place edge, border - the boundary of a surface
	3.	brink - the limit beyond which something happens or changes; "on the verge of tears"; "on the brink of bankruptcy" verge limit, bound, boundary - the greatest possible degree of something; "what he did was beyond the bounds of acceptable behavior"; "to the limit of his ability"

brink

noun edge, point, limit, border, lip, margin, boundary, skirt, frontier, fringe, verge, threshold, rim, brim Their economy is teetering on the brink of collapse.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

brink

noun

1. A fairly narrow line or space forming a boundary:

border, borderline, brim, edge, edging, fringe, margin, periphery, rim, verge.

Chiefly Military: perimeter.

2. A transitional interval beyond which some new action or different state of affairs is likely to begin or occur:

borderline, edge, point, threshold, verge.

Translations

حافه، حافَّه، حَرْف، شَفيرُ الهاوِيَه

okrajpříkrý břeh

bredkant

Rand

borde

parrasreuna

bord lisière

meredek part

brún, barmur, bakki

orlo

status krantas

krastsmala

randsteile rand

rand

strmý svahzráz

eşik kenar kıyı

悬崖峭壁或河流的边沿

brink

[brɪŋk] N (lit, fig) → borde m
on the brink of sth → al borde de algo
to be on the brink of doing sth → estar a punto de hacer algo

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

brink

[ˈbrɪŋk] n → bord m
to be on the brink of sth [+ disaster, war, tears] → être au bord de qch
She was on the brink of tears → Elle était au bord des larmes.
on the brink of doing → sur le point de faire, à deux doigts de faire

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

brink

n (lit, fig) → Rand m; on the brink of something (lit, fig) → am Rande von etw; on the brink of doing something (lit, fig) → nahe daran, etw zu tun

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

brink

[brɪŋk] n → orlo
on the brink of doing sth → sul punto di fare qc
she was on the brink of tears → era lì lì per piangere

brink

(briŋk) noun

the edge or border of a steep, dangerous place or of a river.

Mentioned in ?

References in classic literature ?

A WEARY Traveller who had lain down and fallen asleep on the brink of a deep well was discovered by Dame Fortune.

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If you knew how I feel on the brink of calamity at this instant, how afraid I am of myself!" And she turned away, hiding her sobs.

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Immortal memories awake, and the dead years Through deathless voices answer to my strings, Till from the brink of Time's untarnished springs The melting night recalls me with her tears.

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It takes root upon the brink of the grave, and blossoms in the jaws of death.

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On the brink of some explanation, she seemed to recoil from it.

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They attained the summit with some toil, but found, instead of a level, or rather undulating plain, that they were on the brink of a deep and precipitous ravine, from the bottom of which rose a second slope, similar to the one they had just ascended.

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For a second I toppled there upon the brink. Then I too with the boy still tightly clutched in my arms pitched backward into the black abyss.

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It was a bold question, and one which has ever been considered as a mystery; yet with how many things are we upon the brink of becoming acquainted, if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries.

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The second tablet said: 'The key of the princess's bed-chamber must be fished up out of the lake.' And as the dwarf came to the brink of it, he saw the two ducks whose lives he had saved swimming about; and they dived down and soon brought in the key from the bottom.

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As soon as she came here, and saw the water, she stopped as if she had come to her destination; and presently went slowly along by the brink of the river, looking intently at it.

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When they had descended and risen again, they found themselves on the eastern brink of a steep hill.

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She had wandered about the woods by the river's brink all day, and then, when evening fell and the grey twilight spread its dusky robe upon the waters, she stretched her arms out to the silent river that had known her sorrow and her joy.