verge1 nounverge2 verb
vergeverge1 /vɜːdʒ $ vɜːrdʒ/ ●○○ noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINverge1
Origin:
1300-1400 Old French ‘long pole’, from Latin virga; from within the verge ‘within the area controlled by someone who carried a pole as a sign of authority’EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- And adults do not need to be on the verge of shouting or crying for these mechanisms to be involved.
- Binyomin and Tsila had not only kissed but were on the verge of becoming man and wife in earnest.
- Born in 1930, so she must be on the verge of retirement now.
- Doyle swerved, running the car on to the right hand verge, and braked hard.
- Flocks of large black-and-white birds shifted in unison across the middle of the roundabouts and along roadside verges, probing for worms.
- He and his wife Brooke Hayward were on the verge of divorce - they finally split up in 1969.
- In those years, I believed I was on the verge of a major discovery.
- Now Carter is on the verge of burning brighter than the Olympic flame.
Longman Language Activatorwhen you have almost done something or something has almost happened
· I've almost finished reading the newspaper.· It was early 1945, and the war had nearly ended.
especially spoken not completely or exactly, but almost - use this when the difference is not important: · Hanson's acting career appears to be pretty much over.· I had more or less convinced her that I was telling the truth.
almost completely: · Communist parties have practically disappeared in Europe.· Mexico's rainforest has been virtually destroyed.
not completely, but almost - use this to say that something has not happened, but that it almost has: not quite done/finished etc: · She hasn't quite finished her homework yet.· Give me five minutes - I'm not quite ready.
: all but over/finished/done very nearly finished or done: · By now the war was all but over.· "Can we go home now?" "Just one moment - I've all but finished my work."
almost at or in a particular situation, especially an extreme one: · The police describe the situation as approaching crisis proportions.· Dr Dunstable was in a state nearing nervous collapse.· I felt close to tears as I read Vera's letter.
to be very close to an extremely bad situation: · The two countries are on the brink of war.be on the verge of tears/death/hysteria etc: · Kerry is on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
almost crying · The lesson was going very badly and the student teacher was close to tears.· Fiona was on the verge of tears as the train pulled out of the station.
to have a tight feeling in your throat and feel that you might start crying: · I had a lump in my throat watching Rick go up to get his prize.bring a lump to somebody's throat: · The sight of the soft green hills of her homeland brought a lump to her throat.
to try very hard not to cry even though you are almost crying: · Bill fought back his tears and tried to comfort Sarah's mother.· I quickly left the room, fighting back tears of rage and frustration.
covered in sweat · I'm all hot and sweaty. I think I'll take a shower.· He was a short fat guy with big sweaty hands.· The equipment manager collected the sweaty uniforms and took them down to the hotel laundry.
also be covered/drenched/soaked with sweat to be very wet because you have been sweating a lot: · Ian came off the squash court covered in sweat.· I insist my car's have air conditioning - I hate arriving somewhere drenched with sweat.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
Jess seemed on the verge of tears. an event which left her on the verge of a nervous breakdownCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
Jess seemed on the verge of tears. an event which left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown (=be at the point of almost not existing)· The Siberian crane is on the verge of extinction due to hunting.
British English (=area of grass next to a road)· He stopped the car on the grass verge of the deserted road.
(=to be very close to having a nervous breakdown)· These events left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
(=be close to ruin)· The recession could leave many businesses on the brink of ruin.
(=be almost crying)· He could see that May was close to tears.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN· Then the vans were manoeuvred on to the grass verge so that the new vehicle could come by.· He thought he must have passed out on the grass verge.· The accident happened on a busy dual carriageway when the transporter hit a grass verge and landed on top of one of the cars.· It hit a grass verge and virtually took off.· The man was standing on the grass verge watching her.· Often it was not, and the grass verge was very much wider on one side than the other.· A battalion of infantry that was marching towards the cabriolet shuffled on to the grass verge.· The car lurched to the right, mounted the grass verge, and ploughed through the safety barrier.
· Grass road verges have almost vanished, whittled away by the volume of traffic and the inexorable weight of tractor wheels.· The council had recently authorised an adjoining owner to construct and pave an access way over part of the road verge.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1be on the verge of something to be at the point where something is about to happen: - About how the band were on the verge of splitting up.
- I was on the verge of making one last plea when I was propelled backward through the open door.
- Only if public order appeared to be on the verge of breaking down would the government contemplate restricting political liberty.
- Regrettably two of those who don't get it are on the verge of joining the Bush administration.
- She knew he was on the verge of losing his job.
- She was on the verge of tears, relieved yet unbelievably desolate.
- The Raiders and the Warriors are on the verge of pricing themselves into invisibility.
- Their debts were on the verge of managing them.
Jess seemed on the verge of tears. an event which left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown Mountain gorillas are on the verge of extinction.be on the verge of doing something The show was on the verge of being canceled due to low ratings.2British English the edge of a road, path etc: The car skidded across the road and came to a stop on the grass verge.verge1 nounverge2 verb
vergeverge2 verb VERB TABLE
verge
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | verge |
| he, she, it | verges | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | verged |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have verged |
| he, she, it | has verged | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had verged |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will verge |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have verged |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am verging |
| he, she, it | is verging | |
| you, we, they | are verging | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was verging |
| you, we, they | were verging | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been verging |
| he, she, it | has been verging | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been verging |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be verging |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been verging |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- After overheating in 1989, the market may be verging on the over-cautious today.
- At times these adjustments verge on sharp practice enabled by the fact that ingredients do not have to be revealed.
- Domestically produced cars are overpriced while prices for imported cars verge on the absurd.
- In the case of Essex and Keith Fletcher it may well verge on the impossible.
- That seemed a sober judgment not even verging on hyperbole.
- Their desire to play an expansive game is often dangerous, verging on the suicidal.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Many of Lewis’s activities verged on the illegal. Some of his ideas are verging on the dangerous.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
verge on/upon something phrasal verb to be very close to a harmful or extreme state: Many of Lewis’s activities verged on the illegal. Some of his ideas are verging on the dangerous. (=be at the point of almost not existing)· The Siberian crane is on the verge of extinction due to hunting.
British English (=area of grass next to a road)· He stopped the car on the grass verge of the deserted road.
(=to be very close to having a nervous breakdown)· These events left her on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
(=be close to ruin)· The recession could leave many businesses on the brink of ruin.
(=be almost crying)· He could see that May was close to tears.
Many of Lewis’s activities verged on the illegal. Some of his ideas are verging on the dangerous. His love of James Dean movies verged on fanaticism.