Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense edges, present participle edging, past tense, past participle edged
1. countable noun
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops, or the part of it that is furthest from the middle.
We were on a hill, right on the edge of town. [+ of]
She was standing at the water's edge.
Daniel stepped in front of her desk and sat down on its edge.
Synonyms: border, side, line, limit More Synonyms of edge
2. countable noun
The edge of something sharp such as a knife or an axe is its sharp or narrow side.
...the sharp edge of the sword. [+ of]
3. verb
If someone or something edges somewhere, they move very slowly in that direction.
He edged closer to the phone, ready to grab it. [VERB preposition/adverb]
He is edging ahead in the opinion polls. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: inch, ease, creep, worm More Synonyms of edge
4. singular noun
Theedgeof something, especially something bad, is the point at which it may start to happen.
They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction. [+ of]
She was on the edge of tears.
Synonyms: verge, point, brink, threshold More Synonyms of edge
5. singular noun
If someone or something has an edge, they have an advantage that makes them stronger or more likely to be successful than another thing or person.
The three days France have to prepare could give them the edge over England. [+ over]
Through superior production techniques they were able to gain the competitive edge.
Synonyms: advantage, lead, dominance, superiority More Synonyms of edge
6. singular noun
If you say that someone or something has an edge, you mean that they have a powerful quality.
Featuring new bands gives the show an edge.
Greene's stories had an edge of realism. [+ of]
Synonyms: power, interest, force, bite More Synonyms of edge
7. singular noun
If someone's voice has an edgeto it, it has a sharp, bitter, or emotional quality.
But underneath the humour is an edge of bitterness. [+ of]
There was a nervous edge to his voice.
[Also + to]
Synonyms: sharpness, point, sting, urgency More Synonyms of edge
8. See also cutting edge, knife-edge, leading edge
9.
See on edge
10.
See on the edge of one's seat
11.
See rough edges
12.
See take the edge off
13. to set your teeth on edge
Phrasal verbs:
See edge out
More Synonyms of edge
edge in British English
(ɛdʒ)
noun
1.
the border, brim, or margin of a surface, object, etc
2.
a brink or verge
the edge of a cliff
the edge of a breakthrough
3. mathematics
a.
a line along which two faces or surfaces of a solid meet
b.
a line joining two vertices of a graph
4.
the sharp cutting side of a blade
5.
keenness, sharpness, or urgency
the walk gave an edge to his appetite
6.
force, effectiveness, or incisiveness
the performance lacked edge
7. dialect
a.
a cliff, ridge, or hillside
b. (capital)
(in place names)
Hade Edge
8. have the edge on
9. on edge
10. set someone's teeth on edge
verb
11. (transitive)
to provide an edge or border for
12. (transitive)
to shape or trim (the edge or border of something), as with a knife or scissors
to edge a pie
13.
to push (one's way, someone, something, etc) gradually, esp edgeways
14. (transitive) cricket
to hit (a bowled ball) with the edge of the bat
15. (transitive)
to tilt (a ski) sideways so that one edge digs into the snow
16. (transitive)
to sharpen (a knife, etc)
Derived forms
edgeless (ˈedgeless)
adjective
edger (ˈedger)
noun
Word origin
Old English ecg; related to Old Norse egg, Old High German ecka edge, Latin aciēs sharpness, Greek akis point
edge in American English
(ɛdʒ)
noun
1.
the thin, sharp, cutting part of a blade
2.
the quality of being sharp or keen
3.
the projecting ledge or brink, as of a cliff
4.
the part farthest from the middle; line where something begins or ends; border, or part nearest the border; margin
5.
the verge or brink, as of a condition
6.
an intense, harsh, or irritable quality
his voice had a distinct edge
7. Geometry
a line or line segment at which two plane surfaces meet
8. US, Informal
advantage
you have an edge on me
9. Informal
the quality of being edgy (sense 4)
verb transitiveWord forms: edged or ˈedging
10.
a.
to form or put an edge on; provide an edge for
b.
to trim the edge of
11.
to make (one's way) sideways, as through a crowd
12.
to move gradually or cautiously
13. Informal
to defeat in a contest by a narrow margin
often with out
14. US, Skiing
to tilt (a ski) so that one edge bites into the snow, as in traversing a slope
verb intransitive
15.
to move sideways
16.
to move gradually or cautiously
to edge away from danger
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈborder
Idioms:
on edge
set someone's teeth on edge
take the edge off
Derived forms
edger (ˈedger)
noun
Word origin
ME egge < OE ecg, akin to ON egg, Ger ecke, corner < IE base *ak-, sharp: see acid
More idioms containing
edge
take the edge off something
on the edge of your seat
on edge
lose your edge
a cutting edge
at the cutting edge
set your teeth on edge
COBUILD Collocations
edge
blur the edges
extra edge
fold the edge
jagged edge
lack the edge
satirical edge
slight edge
soften the edges
southern edge
very edge
western edge
Examples of 'edge' in a sentence
edge
This gives you the edge when there are deals to be done.
The Sun (2016)
She found her head hanging over one edge.
The Sun (2016)
Forces in the northern and southern fronts are also edging towards the city centre.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Your table may be right by the edge, so steady with the false teeth.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Asia's biggest economies are competing to gain an edge in the global nuclear industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And if an application delivers real competitive edge, organisations could consider making it commercially available to other companies.
Computing (2010)
Doctors need to listen to what patients want rather than using cutting edge technology for its own sake, it urges.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
On measures including combined venture capital investment in its companies, London appeared to be edging ahead.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I don't want the game to become too funky but it could be said there is a need to limit bat sizes or edges at some point.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Those raw winds in the south are easing today as the area of high pressure edges closer.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It is not the graphic of a player using the edge of his bat.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
That may well drive people already in difficulty right over the edge.
The Sun (2014)
It gives you an edge for the rest of the match.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The competitive edge runs in his family.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Place one half centrally to right side of hemmed edge of one piece.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
They went through phases with no real cutting edge.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Any remaining mince can be placed around the edge of the dish.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He was watching another bull edging into the meadow from the south.
Christianity Today (2000)
We are open to the possibility if it gives us a performance edge.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
They just lack that clinical edge in front of goal right now.
The Sun (2016)
The sharper the edge the farther they fly.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Yet somewhere along the line the edges became blurred.
The Sun (2011)
Now they are on the edge of extinction.
The Sun (2006)
The economy is on a knife edge.
The Sun (2008)
One serious bidder is thought to be edging closer to a deal.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Join front and back covers round outer edge with right sides facing.
Churchill, Jane (ed.) Collins Complete Books of Soft Furnishings (1993)
Most financial managers regard a planned cash balance of zero as driving too close to the edge of the cliff.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
He edged ahead at the 17th and then won the last in great style.
The Sun (2012)
From the first scrum they should pile into Toulon and attempt to gain the initial edge.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If you attack only one edge of the bat, people can work you out quite fast.
The Sun (2014)
Back in the Nineties they gripped a generation of gamers with their fiendish puzzles and cutting edge humour.
The Sun (2009)
I freely admit that my sense of humour edges towards the dark.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Shall I risk wrath and edge into the middle lane?
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
edge
British English: edge /ɛdʒ/ NOUN
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops, or the part of it that is furthest from the middle.
We were on the edge of town.
American English: edge
Arabic: حافَّة
Brazilian Portuguese: beira
Chinese: 边缘
Croatian: rub
Czech: okraj
Danish: kant
Dutch: rand
European Spanish: borde
Finnish: reuna raja
French: bord
German: Rand
Greek: παρυφή
Italian: margine
Japanese: 端
Korean: 가장자리
Norwegian: kant
Polish: krawędź
European Portuguese: beira
Romanian: margine
Russian: край
Latin American Spanish: filo
Swedish: kant
Thai: ขอบ
Turkish: sınır
Ukrainian: край
Vietnamese: rìa
British English: edge VERB
If someone or something edges somewhere, they move very slowly in that direction.
He edged closer to the telephone, ready to grab it.
American English: edge
Brazilian Portuguese: direcionar-se
Chinese: 慢慢移动
European Spanish: acercarse poco a poco
French: avancer
German: sich bewegen
Italian: avanzare lentamente
Japanese: じりじり進む
Korean: 아주 조금씩 다가가다
European Portuguese: direcionar-se
Latin American Spanish: acercarse poco a poco
All related terms of 'edge'
on edge
If you or your nerves are on edge , you are tense, nervous , and unable to relax .
edge out
If someone edges out someone else, they just manage to beat them or get in front of them in a game , race , or contest .
edge tool
a tool with one or more cutting edges
fore-edge
the outer edge of the pages of a book
hard-edge
of, relating to, or denoting a style of painting in which vividly coloured subjects are clearly delineated
saw edge
the serrated edge of a saw
very edge
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops , or the part of it that is furthest from the middle.
deckle edge
the rough edge of handmade paper, caused by pulp seeping between the mould and the deckle : often left as ornamentation in fine books and writing papers
extra edge
If you say that someone or something has an edge , you mean that they have a powerful quality.
jagged edge
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops, or the part of it that is furthest from the middle.
knife edge
You can use knife-edge to refer to something that is very exciting or tense because you do not know what is going to happen next.
ragged edge
the extreme edge , like that of a precipice ; verge
razor edge
a very sharp edge given to a blade
slight edge
If someone or something has an edge , they have an advantage that makes them stronger or more likely to be successful than another thing or person.
bevelled edge
an inclined edge; one not at 90 degrees
bleeding edge
If you are at the bleeding edge of a particular field of activity , you are involved in its most advanced or most exciting developments.
cutting edge
If you are at the cutting edge of a particular field of activity, you are involved in its most important or most exciting developments .
edge species
a species of animal or plant living primarily in an ecotone
leading edge
The leading edge of a particular area of research or development is the area of it that seems most advanced or sophisticated .
southern edge
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops , or the part of it that is furthest from the middle.
straight-edge
not indulging in any kind of drug-taking or sexual activities
trailing edge
the rear edge of a propeller blade or aerofoil
western edge
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops , or the part of it that is furthest from the middle .
satirical edge
If you say that someone or something has an edge , you mean that they have a powerful quality.
a cutting edge
the ability to be more successful than your opponents
competitive edge
an advantage based on success in competition
fold the edge
The edge of something is the place or line where it stops, or the part of it that is furthest from the middle.
lack the edge
If you say that someone or something has an edge , you mean that they have a powerful quality.
lose your edge
to no longer have all the advantages and special skills that you had in the past
have the edge on
to have a slight advantage or superiority over
on a knife-edge
To be on a knife-edge means to be in a situation in which nobody knows what is going to happen next , or in which one thing is just as likely to happen as another.
on a razor edge
in an extremely precarious state
on a razor's edge
in an acute dilemma
on the ragged edge
precariously close to loss of self-control , mental stability , etc.
take the edge off
If something takes the edge off a situation , usually an unpleasant one, it weakens its effect or intensity .
at the cutting edge
involved in the most important, exciting , or advanced developments of a particular subject or activity
cutting-edge technology
Technology refers to methods, systems, and devices which are the result of scientific knowledge being used for practical purposes.
set your teeth on edge
if something sets your teeth on edge , you find it extremely irritating or unpleasant
on the edge of one's seat
If you say that someone is on the edge of their seat or chair , you mean that they are very interested in what is happening or what is going to happen .
on the edge of your seat
very interested and eager to know what happens next , especially in a film , book or sports match
set someone's teeth on edge
to make someone acutely irritated or uncomfortable
take the edge off something
to weaken the effect or intensity of something, especially pain
to set your teeth on edge
If you say that something sets your teeth on edge , you mean that you find it extremely unpleasant or irritating .
give someone the rough side of your tongue
to speak angrily or harshly to someone about something that they have done wrong
Chinese translation of 'edge'
edge
(ɛdʒ)
n(c)
(= border)
[of road, town]边(邊)缘(緣) (biānyuán) (个(個), gè)
[of lake]边(邊) (biān)
⇒ She was standing at the water's edge.她站在水边。 (Tā zhànzaì shuǐbiān.)
[of table, chair]棱(稜) (léng)
[of knife, sword etc]刃 (rèn)
vi
to edge forward一点(點)一点(點)地向前移动(動) (yīdiǎn yīdiǎn de xiàngqián yídòng)
on edge紧(緊)张(張)不安 (jǐnzhāng bù'ān)
to have the or an edge (over sb)胜(勝)过(過)(某人) (shèngguò (mǒurén))
to edge past缓(緩)缓(緩)通过(過) (huǎnhuǎn tōngguò)
to edge away from悄悄离(離)开(開) (qiāoqiāo líkāi)
All related terms of 'edge'
on edge
紧(緊)张(張)不安 jǐnzhāng bù'ān
edge out
( in contest ) 小胜(勝) xiǎoshèng
to edge past
缓(緩)缓(緩)通过(過) huǎnhuǎn tōngguò
to edge forward
一点(點)一点(點)地向前移动(動) yīdiǎn yīdiǎn de xiàngqián yídòng
the water's edge
水边(邊) shuǐbiān
to edge away from
悄悄离(離)开(開) qiāoqiāo líkāi
at the cutting edge of sth
在某事的前沿 zài mǒushì de qiányán
to have the or an edge (over sb)
胜(勝)过(過)(某人) shèngguò (mǒurén)
1 (noun)
Definition
a border or line where something ends or begins
She was standing at the water's edge.
Synonyms
border
pillowcases trimmed with a hand-crocheted border
side
Park at the side of the road.
line
the California state line
limit
the city limits
bound
lip
the lip of the jug
margin
These islands are on the margins of human habitation.
outline
boundary
Our organization now operates across national boundaries.
fringe
They lived together on the fringe of the campus.
verge
brink
threshold
She has a low threshold of boredom, and needs constant stimulation.
rim
round the eastern rim of the Mediterranean
brim
She filled her glass right up to the brim.
perimeter
They walked round the perimeter of the stadium.
contour
periphery
Geographically, the UK is on the periphery of Europe.
flange
2 (noun)
They have driven the rhino to the edge of extinction.
Synonyms
verge
Carole was on the verge of tears.
point
brink
Their economy is teetering on the brink of collapse.
threshold
We are on the threshold of a new era in astronomy.
3 (noun)
This could give them the edge over their oppponents.
Synonyms
advantage
Men still have an economic position of advantage over women.
lead
He now has a lead of 30 points.
dominance
They're unpopular for their dominance over the community.
superiority
Our army has air superiority.
upper hand
head start
A good education gives your child a head start in life.
ascendancy
The extremists are gaining ascendancy.
whip hand
4 (noun)
Featuring new bands gives the show an edge.
Synonyms
power
the power of his rhetoric
interest
force
He changed our world through the force of his ideas.
bite
The novel seems to lack bite and tension.
effectiveness
the effectiveness of computers as an educational tool
animation
They both spoke with animation.
zest
He has a zest for life and a quick intellect.
incisiveness
powerful quality
5 (noun)
Definition
keenness, sharpness, or urgency
There was an unpleasant edge to her voice.
Synonyms
sharpness
point
sting
The sting of those words had festered in Roderick's mind.
urgency
bitterness
the bitterness of the British climate
keenness
pungency
acuteness
Everything he writes demonstrates the acuteness of his intelligence.
1 (verb)
Definition
to move very gradually in a particular direction
He edged closer to the door.
Synonyms
inch
ease
I eased my way towards the door.
creep
The rabbit crept off and hid in a hole.
worm
slink
He couldn't just slink away.
steal
They can steal away at night and join us.
sidle
A young man sidled up to me and said, `May I help you?'
work
move slowly
2 (verb)
Definition
to make, form, or be an edge or border for
a chocolate brown jacket edged with yellow
Synonyms
border
white sand bordered by palm trees and tropical flowers
shape
bind
Bind the edges of the blind with braid or fringing.
trim
jackets trimmed with crocheted flowers
fringe
Swampy islands of vegetation fringe the coastline.
rim
hem
pipe
3 (verb)
Synonyms
sharpen
He started to sharpen his knife.
hone
four grinding wheels for honing fine-edged tools
whet
strop
phrase
See on edge
idiom
See on the edge of your seat
Additional synonyms
in the sense of acuteness
Everything he writes demonstrates the acuteness of his intelligence.