brink

UK: /ˈbrɪŋk/ US: /brɪŋk/ ,(bringk)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

brink /brɪŋk/   n. [countable* usually singular]

1. the edge of any steep place or of land bordering water:
   the brink of the cliff.
2. any extreme edge;
   verge.
3. a critical point beyond which something will occur: verge:
   on the brink of disaster.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

brink  (bringk), n. 

1. the edge or margin of a steep place or of land bordering water.
2. any extreme edge;
   verge.
3. a crucial or critical point, esp. of a situation or state beyond which success or catastrophe occurs:
   We were on the brink of war.

• Old Norse (Danish) brink, cognate with Middle Low German  brink edge, hillside, Old Norse brekka slope, hill
• Middle English brink 1250–1300

brink′less, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

brink / brɪŋk/ noun

1. the edge, border, or verge of a steep place
2. the land at the edge of a body of water
3. the verge of an event or state: the brink of disaster

Etymology: 13th Century: from Middle Dutch brinc, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse brekka slope, Middle Low German brink edge of a field