on the verge of

idiom

: at the point when (something) is about to happen or is very likely to happen
The company was on the verge of going bankrupt.
The child was on the verge of tears.
We were on the verge of divorce.

Examples of on the verge of in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Weinbrenner was on the verge of becoming a casualty of foreign competition until 1988 when a group of area business leaders bought the company. Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2024 Pilar Guzmán had $46 in the bank and her business was on the verge of bankruptcy 16 years ago. Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024 In the new Broadway show Stereophonic, the year is 1976 and a band on the verge of superstardom is recording their next album in Sausalito, California. Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024 He has been known for his expertise in restructuring restaurants on the verge of bankruptcy, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024 Jed York is on the verge of succeeding his mother as the 49ers’ primary owner, a title change that isn’t surprising after his past 13 years as CEO and face of the ownership group. Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 25 Mar. 2024 Plus, there’s the love of water that has Brotman on the verge of a career sweep of double wins in the CIF San Diego Section girls swimming championships. Glae Thien, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024 Leverkusen is, of course, Europe’s great form team: on an unbeaten run that now stretches to 42 games, and on the verge of claiming its first German championship. Rory Smith, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024 Civil War, which is Henderson’s fifth A24 collaboration, begins in the near future, as secessionists are on the verge of seizing the White House from its dictatorial, third-term president (Nick Offerman). Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the verge of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near on the verge of

Cite this Entry

“On the verge of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20verge%20of. Accessed 2 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!