edge

1 of 2

noun

ˈej How to pronounce edge (audio)
plural edges
Synonyms of edgenext
1
a
: the cutting side of a blade
a razor's edge
b
: the sharpness of a blade
a knife with no edge
c(1)
: force, effectiveness
blunted the edge of the legislation
(2)
: vigor or energy especially of body
maintains his hard edge
d(1)
: incisive or penetrating quality
writing with a satirical edge
(2)
: a noticeably harsh or sharp quality
her voice had an edge to it
(3)
: a secondary but distinct quality
rock music with a bluesy edge
e
: keenness or intensity of desire or enjoyment
lost my competitive edge
2
a
: the line where an object or area begins or ends : border
on the edge of a plain
b
: the narrow part adjacent to a border
the edge of the deck
c(1)
: a point near the beginning or the end
especially : brink, verge
on the edge of disaster
(2)
: the threshold of danger or ruin
living on the edge
d
: a favorable margin : advantage
has an edge on the competition
3
: a line or line segment that is the intersection of two plane faces (as of a pyramid) or of two planes
4
edges : short fine hair that grows along a person's hairline : baby hair
With carefully finessed edges in delicate swoop and wave designs, hairstyles as simple as a high ponytail or sleek bob can quickly be transformed into a work of art …—Devon Abelman
—usually singular when used before another noun
edge styling
edgeless adjective

edge

2 of 2

verb

edged; edging

transitive verb

1
a
: to give an edge to
b
: to be on an edge of
trees edging the lake
2
: to move or force gradually
edged him off the road
3
: to incline (a ski) sideways so that one edge cuts into the snow
4
: to defeat by a small margin
—often used with out
edged out her opponent

intransitive verb

: to advance by short moves
Phrases
on edge
: anxious, nervous

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of edge in a Sentence

Noun They peered over the edge of the roof. The fabric was frayed at the edge. He made us all nervous by standing so close to the edge of the cliff. She sat on the edge of the counter, swinging her legs. the edge of an ax His voice had a sarcastic edge. These amendments will blunt the edge of the legislation. Verb Edge the sleeve with lace. She edged away from him. Gasoline prices have been edging upward. I edged my chair closer to the table.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Greg Alder has had great success growing raspberries on the eastern edge of large trees. —Joshua Siskin, Orange County Register, 14 Nov. 2024 Ribbons marked the edge of the area that will be logged. —April Ehrlich, ProPublica, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
Amid the backlash from the right over diversity, equity and inclusion, pockets of corporate America are edging away from public commitments to help level the playing field. —Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024 The other battlegrounds are edging toward Harris, according to the NYT-Siena poll, with the vice president grabbing narrow leads in Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Georgia, with Michigan tied and Trump maintaining his advantage in Arizona. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for edge 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English egge, going back to Old English ecg "cutting side of a blade, border," going back to Germanic *agjō "cutting side of a blade" (whence also Old Frisian eg "cutting side of a blade, sword," Old Saxon eggia, Old High German egga, ekka "cutting side of a blade, border, point, corner," Old Norse egg "cutting side of a blade"), feminine noun derivative from Indo-European *h2eḱ- "sharp, pointed," whence also Latin aciēs "sharp part of a weapon"

Note: The base *h2eḱ- "sharp, pointed" was productive of a large number of suffixed derivatives in the Indo-European daughter languages. Latin had a verbal base deriving from h2eḱ-eh1- "to be sharp" (see acetic acid, acid entry 2) and a presumed adjectival stem *acū- "sharp" (see acute). An apparently isolated derivative is Greek akmḗ "highest point" (see acme). For the derivative *h2eḱ-r-/h2oḱ-r-, with outcomes in Greek, Latin, and other languages, see acro-, mediocre. See also awn, ear entry 2.

Verb

Middle English eggen "to set (the teeth) on edge," derivative of egge edge entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of edge was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing edge

Dictionary Entries Near edge

Edgar

edge

edgebone

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Edge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/edge. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

edge

1 of 2 noun
ˈej How to pronounce edge (audio)
1
a
: the cutting side of a blade
a knife's edge
b
: the sharpness of a blade
a razor with no edge
c
: a harsh or sharp quality
his voice had a sarcastic edge
2
a
: the line where an object or surface begins or ends
also : the narrow part next to it
the edge of the deck
b
: the line where two plane faces of a solid meet
an edge of the cube
3
: advantage sense 3
our experience gave us an edge
edged
ˈejd
adjective

edge

2 of 2 verb
edged; edging
1
: to give an edge to
edge a sleeve with lace
2
: to advance slowly or by short moves
edged my chair closer

More from Merriam-Webster on edge

Nglish: Translation of edge for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of edge for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...