Britannica Dictionary definition of BRINK
the brink
:
the edge at the top of a steep cliff
—
usually used figuratively to refer to a point that is very close to the occurrence of something very bad or (less commonly) very good
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He nearly lost everything because of his drug addiction, but his friends helped to pull him back from the brink.
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The two nations are on the brink of war. [=are very close to war]
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a city on the brink of financial disaster
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Doctors may be on the brink of finding a cure for this disease.
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a young actress who is on the brink of a brilliant career
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The other team brought them to the brink of defeat. [=came very close to defeating them]
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an animal that has been brought/pulled back from the brink of extinction