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View synonyms for verge

verge

1

[ vurj ]

noun

  1. the edge, rim, or margin of something:

    the verge of a desert; to operate on the verge of fraud.

    Synonyms: brink, lip, brim

  2. the limit or point beyond which something begins or occurs; brink:

    on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  3. a limiting belt, strip, or border of something.
  4. British. a narrow strip of turf bordering on a pathway, sidewalk, roadway, etc.
  5. a decorative border, as on or around an object, structural part, etc.
  6. limited room or scope for something:

    an action within the verge of one's abilities.

  7. an area or district subject to a particular jurisdiction.
  8. History/Historical. an area or district in England embracing the royal palace, being the jurisdiction of the Marshalsea Court.
  9. the part of a sloping roof that projects beyond the gable wall.
  10. Architecture. the shaft of a column or colonette.
  11. a rod, wand, or staff, especially one carried as an emblem of authority or of the office of a bishop, dean, or the like.
  12. Horology. a palletlike lever formerly used in inexpensive pendulum clocks.
  13. Obsolete. a stick or wand held in the hand of a person swearing fealty to a feudal lord on being admitted as a tenant.


verb (used without object)

, verged, verg·ing.
  1. to be on the edge or margin; border:

    Our property verges on theirs.

  2. to come close to or be in transition to some state, quality, etc. (usually followed by on ):

    a statesman who verged on greatness; a situation that verged on disaster.

verb (used with object)

, verged, verg·ing.
  1. to serve as the verge or boundary of:

    a high hedge verging the yard.

verge

2

[ vurj ]

verb (used without object)

, verged, verg·ing.
  1. to incline; tend (usually followed by to or toward ):

    The economy verges toward inflation.

  2. to slope or sink.

verge

1

/ vɜːdʒ /

verb

  1. intr; foll by to or towards to move or incline in a certain direction


verge

2

/ vɜːdʒ /

noun

  1. an edge or rim; margin
  2. a limit beyond which something occurs; brink

    on the verge of ecstasy

  3. a grass border along a road
  4. an enclosing line, belt, or strip
  5. architect the edge of the roof tiles projecting over a gable
  6. architect the shaft of a classical column
  7. an enclosed space
  8. horology the spindle of a balance wheel in a vertical escapement, found only in very early clocks
  9. English legal history
    1. the area encompassing the royal court that is subject to the jurisdiction of the Lord High Steward
    2. a rod or wand carried as a symbol of office or emblem of authority, as in the Church
    3. a rod held by a person swearing fealty to his lord on becoming a tenant, esp of copyhold land

verb

  1. intrfoll byon to be near (to)

    to verge on chaos

  2. whenintr, sometimes foll by on to serve as the edge of (something)

    this narrow strip verges the road

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Word History and Origins

Origin of verge1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English virge, verge “shaft, column, rod (hence boundary or jurisdiction symbolized by a steward's rod), rod of office, penis,” from Middle French, from Latin virga “shoot, twig, branch, rod”

Origin of verge2

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin vergere “to turn, bend, be inclined”

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Word History and Origins

Origin of verge1

C17: from Latin vergere

Origin of verge2

C15: from Old French, from Latin virga rod

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Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with verge , also see on the verge of .

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Example Sentences

A strategy more than four decades in the making now stands on the verge of complete success.

In June, India’s shadow banking sector was on the verge of collapse.

From Quartz

It may not be TikTok, but Microsoft is on the verge of acquiring a lineup of popular video game titles that could help grow its consumer and video game businesses.

From Fortune

Wisconsin’s Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative was on the verge of ending operations in 2016 when itreceived a lifesaving $30 million loan, said CEO Cathy Mahaffey.

From Fortune

For those efforts, they now get first dibs at drafting a player who could bring them from the verge of success to consistent playoff appearances.

But to say the capital teeters on the verge of collapse is both melodramatic and misleading.

It was a brutally hot day, 103 degrees, and the city was on the verge of a racial explosion.

Washington State is on the verge of passing new gun control legislation.

On the verge of turning 60 this December, Lennox still has a few items to cross off her bucket list.

All joking aside, what was once considered an expensive gimmick is on the verge of going mainstream.

Late into the night they lingered on the veranda, and he found himself on the verge of confessing all to her.

It was still in the verge of possibility that his son might seek his father in that dismal chamber.

A coward by nature, he had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown before the trial, thinking of what might happen.

This mine is situated in low ground near the verge of the stream, and was at first only worked for gold.

The road we followedPg 134 closely skirts the coast for a great part of the distance, running at times on the verge of the ocean.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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