From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe teetering on the brink/edge of somethingbe teetering on the brink/edge of somethingALMOSTto be very close to being in an unpleasant or dangerous situation The country teetered on the brink of war. → teeter
Examples from the Corpus
be teetering on the brink/edge of something• The country is teetering on the brink of a massive financial crisis.• He says that the country is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.• If it were as bad as its critics contend, our society would be teetering on the edge of extinction.• We are teetering on the edge of farce.• Wednesday morning, during an hourlong session with reporters, Forbes appeared to be teetering on the edge of folding his campaign.• As the piece opens, he is in an internment camp, and she is teetering on the edge of madness.• A moment later, realising she was teetering on the brink of self-pity, she brought herself up short.• He was teetering on the brink of something serious.• Now he was teetering on the edge of the parapet. 