edge
noun /edʒ/
/edʒ/
Idioms 
enlarge image
enlarge image[countable] the outside limit of an object, a surface or an area; the part furthest from the centre- I gripped the edge of my desk to steady myself.
- the first spacecraft to travel to the edge of the solar system.
- on the edge of something He stood on the edge of the cliff.
- Stand the coin on its edge.
- at the edge of something a big house on/at the edge of town
- I sat down at the water's edge.
- near the edge of something Don't put that glass so near the edge of the table.
- She tore the page out roughly, leaving a ragged edge in the book.
Extra Examples- My foot caught the edge of the table.
- She sat on the edge of her bed.
- My fingers played with the frayed edges of my jeans.
- Flip the fabric over so the cut edge is now to your left.
- She could see rocky cliffs on the opposite edge of the lake.
- Smoke was making its way around the edges of the door.
- The building forms the northern edge of the courtyard.
- The road skirts the western edge of the forest.
- Trees lined the edges of the path.
- We had reached the edge of the map and didn't know which way to go.
- the top edge of the picture frame
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- top
- upper
- bottom
- …
- reach
- skirt
- clutch
- …
- along the edge
- around the edge
- round the edge
- …
- right on the edge
- [countable] the sharp part of a knife, blade or sword that is used for cutting
enlarge image- Be careful—it has a sharp edge.
- a knife with a serrated edge
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- razor-sharp
- sharp
- cutting
- …
- sharpen
- (usually the edge)[singular] the point at which something, especially something bad, may begin to happen synonym brink, verge
- They had brought the country to the edge of disaster.
- [singular] a slight advantage over somebody/something
- The company needs to improve its competitive edge.
- edge on/over somebody/something They have the edge on us.
Extra Examples- Their training gave them an extra edge.
- He believes Marseilles have a slight edge as they face Rangers at home.
- The intensive training she had done gave her the edge over the other runners.
- This is one of the key ways in which the firm can gain the edge over its competitors.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- competitive
- slight
- big
- …
- give somebody/something
- gain
- have
- …
- edge over
- [singular] a strong, often exciting, quality
- Her show now has a hard political edge to it.
- [singular] a sharp tone of voice, often showing anger
- He did his best to remain calm, but there was a distinct edge to his voice.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- razor-sharp
- sharp
- cutting
- …
- sharpen
- -edged(in adjectives) having the type of edge or edges mentioned
- a lace-edged handkerchief
Word OriginOld English ecg ‘sharpened side of a blade’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch egge and German Ecke, also to Old Norse eggja ‘incite’, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin acies ‘edge’ and Greek akis ‘point’.
Idioms
be on edge
- to be nervous, excited or easily made angrySynonyms nervousnervousTopics Feelingsc2
- neurotic
- on edge
- jittery
- nervous easily worried or frightened:
- He was of a nervous disposition.
- neurotic not behaving in a reasonable, calm way, because you are worried about something:
- She became neurotic about keeping the house clean.
- on edge nervous or easily made angry:
- She was always on edge before an interview.
- jittery (informal) anxious and nervous:
- All this talk of job losses was making him jittery.
- a nervous/neurotic man/woman/girl
- to feel nervous/on edge/jittery
- a bit nervous/on edge/jittery
be on the razor’s edge | be on a razor edge
- to be in a difficult situation where any mistake may be very dangerous
- Social workers operate on the razor’s edge.
fray at/around the edges/seams
- to start to come apart or to fail
- Support for the leader was fraying at the edges.
on the edge of your seat
- very excited and giving your full attention to something
- The game had the crowd on the edge of their seats.
- I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened next.
push somebody over/to the edge
- to force somebody to lose control of their behaviour, usually after a particular event or series of events
- No one knows exactly what caused his breakdown, but losing his job may have pushed him over the edge.
(have some) rough edges | be rough around the edges
- (to have some) small parts, for example in a performance or in your character, that are not yet as good as they should be
- The ballet still had some rough edges.
- He had a few rough edges knocked off at school.
- The films are very rough around the edges.
set somebody’s teeth on edge
- (of a sound or taste) to make somebody feel physically uncomfortable
- Just the sound of her voice sets my teeth on edge.
take the edge off (something)
- to make something less strong, less bad, etc.
- The sandwich took the edge off my appetite.
- I just need something to take the edge off.
- I took an aspirin to take the edge off the pain.
- A squeeze of lemon takes the edge off the sweetness.
teeter on the edge/brink of something
- to be very close to a very unpleasant or dangerous situation
- The country is teetering on the edge of civil war.