noun | verb
edgeedge1 /ɛdʒ/ ●●● S2 W2 noun [countable] 1
OUTSIDE PART the part of an object or an area that is farthest from its center: Don’t put your glass so close to the edge of the table. My uncle’s house is on the edge of town near the freeway.THESAURUSside – the part of an object or area that is near an edge: He pushed the cauliflower to the side of his plate.border – the official line around a country, state, or area that separates it from other areas: We crossed the border into Mexico at Nogales.boundary – the line that marks the edge of a surface, space, or area of land inside a country: The Mississippi River forms a natural boundary between Tennessee and Arkansas.perimeter – the border around an enclosed area or a shape: Security guards patrol the perimeter of the camp night and day.outskirts – the areas of a city that are furthest away from the center: They built the airport on the outskirts of the city.rim – the outside edge of something deep or something with high sides, such as a cup or a canyon (=deep valley with very steep sides): There was lipstick on the rim of the cup.margin – the empty space at either side of a printed page: I wrote some notes in the margins of the page.hem – the edge of a piece of cloth that is folded and sewn, especially the lower edge of a skirt, pair of pants, etc.: The hem of her dress was coming loose.curb – the raised edge of a street: If the curb is painted red, you can’t park next to it.2KNIFE the thin sharp part of a blade or tool that is used for cutting: You’ll need a knife with a very sharp edge.3ADVANTAGE a quality that you have, that gives you an advantage over other people: Some athletes lose their edge by their mid-20s. American companies have an edge over their competition in this technology.4be on edge to be nervous, especially because you are expecting something bad to happen: What’s wrong, Sue? You’ve been on edge all morning.5be on the edge to be behaving in a way that makes it seem as if you are going crazy6ANGER [singular] a quality in someone’s voice that makes it sound slightly angry or impatient: edge of Jenny’s voice took on an edge of impatience.7INTERESTING QUALITY [singular] an unusual quality that makes something seem interesting, exciting, or dangerous: Even her most upbeat songs have an edge.8be on the edge of your seat to be very excited and interested in something that is happening: Fans of the Avengers will be waiting on the edge of their seats for the next movie.9the edge of something the limit of something, or the point at which it may start to happen: She and her family live on the edge of poverty.10take the edge off (something) to make something less bad, strong, etc.: Try this. It should take the edge off the pain.11go over the edge to go crazy or have a nervous breakdown: Nick needs to get some help before he goes completely over the edge.[Origin: Old English ecg] → see also cutting edge, have rough edges at rough1 (8) noun | verb
edgeedge2 verb 1[intransitive always + adv./prep., transitive always + adv./prep.] to move slowly and gradually, or to make something do this: As he edged closer, Jan became more nervous.edge something in/across/toward etc. Dan edged his chair closer to the fireplace.2[intransitive always + adv./prep., transitive always + adv./prep.] to develop gradually, or to make something do this: edge (something) up/down/toward etc. The dollar edged lower against the Japanese yen.3[transitive usually passive] to have or put something on the edge or border of something: edge something with/in something The sleeves were edged with lace.4[transitive] to defeat someone by a small number of points or by a short distance: Fontes edged Gibbs in the voting for NFL Coach of the Year.5[transitive] to cut the edges of an area of grass so that they are neat and straightedge somebody/something ↔ out phrasal verb to win by a small number of points or by a short distance: Carr edged out Durelle in a battle for second place.