edʒ
edʒ
1 [countable] the outside limit of an object, a surface or an area; the part furthest from the centreHe stood on the edge of the cliff.a big house on/at the edge of townDon't put that glass so near the edge of the table.I sat down at the water's edge.Stand the coin on its edge.She tore the page out roughly, leaving a ragged edge in the book. see also leading edge2 [countable] the sharp part of a blade, knife or sword that is used for cuttingBe careful—it has a sharp edge.3 (usually the edge) [singular] the point at which something, especially something bad, may begin to happenSynonym
brink, vergeThey had brought the country to the edge of disaster. see also cutting edge4 [singular] a slight advantage over somebody/somethingThe company needs to improve its competitive edge.edge on/over somebody/something They have the edge on us.5 [singular] a strong, often exciting, qualityHer show now has a hard political edge to it.6 [singular] a sharp tone of voice, often showing angerHe did his best to remain calm, but there was a distinct edge to his voice.7 -edged (in adjectives) having the type of edge or edges mentioneda lace-edged handkerchief see also gilt-edgedIdioms
be on edge
to be nervous, excited or bad-tempered
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.take the edge off something
to make something less strong, less bad, etc
The sandwich took the edge off my appetite.I took an aspirin to take the edge off the pain.A squeeze of lemon takes the edge off the sweetness.Idioms
see set somebody's teeth on edge at tooth
Usage note: nervousneurotic on edge jitteryThese words all describe people who are easily frightened or are behaving in a frightened way.nervous easily worried or frightened: She was of a nervous disposition. See also the entry for worried.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 bad-tempered: 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/girlto feel nervous/on edge/jitterya bit nervous/on edge/jittery