Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

brink

/ˈbɹɪŋk/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.51 in modern English

Syllables: brink
IPA: /ˈbɹɪŋk/

11

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge.

noun

The edge or border.

name

Example Sentences

"the brink of a river"
"And the appearance of it much comforted us, especially seeing so goodly a land, and wooded to the brink of the sea."
"the brink of success"
"As South Korea heads to the polls, can Lee Jae-myung bring the country back from the brink? [title]"

Etymology

From Middle English brinke, brenke, from Old Norse *brenka, brekka, from Proto-Germanic *brinkǭ, *brinkaz (“hill, edge (of land)”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰren- (“to project”). Cognate with Dutch brink (“grassland”), regional German Brink, Icelandic brekka (“slope”); also Tocharian B prenke (“island”), Irish braine (“prow”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: brinke, *brenka, *brinkǭ, *bʰren-

Inflected Forms

brinks (plural)

Derived Forms

brinkless brinkmanship brinkmate brinksman

Phrases

brink pink on the brink on the brink of sea-brink

Synonyms

verge threshold

Rhymes With

think link drink inc pink sink ink sync shrink blink zinc wink

Questions

How do you pronounce brink?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈbɹɪŋk/.
What does brink mean?: The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge.
Where does brink come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce brink

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “brink”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈbɹɪŋk/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “brink”.
Repeat and practice — Say “brink” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.