Edge

/ɛd͡ʒ/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The boundary line of a surface.
  • Grammar: edge is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: border, boundary, a, abut.
  • Useful contrasts: cental, central, central group.
  • Usage evidence: I hit my funny bone on the edge of the table.

How to use "edge"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "edge" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "edge" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "edge" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "edge" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "edge" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "border" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "edge", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The boundary line of a surface.
  2. 2
    Acronym of Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable
  3. 3
    a sharp side formed by the intersection of two surfaces of an object wordnet
  4. 4
    A one-dimensional face of a polytope. In particular, the joining line between two vertices of a polygon; the place where two faces of a polyhedron meet.
  5. 5
    Explain, demonstrate, guide, enable; an educating method. uncountable
Show 15 more definitions
  1. 6
    the outside limit of an object or area or surface; a place farthest away from the center of something wordnet
  2. 7
    An advantage.

    "I have the edge on him."

  3. 8
    Notation for an edge rusher. uncountable
  4. 9
    a slight competitive advantage wordnet
  5. 10
    The thin cutting side of the blade of an instrument, such as an ax, knife, sword, or scythe; that which cuts as an edge does, or wounds deeply, etc. also, figuratively

    "No, 'tis slander; / Whose edge is sharper than the sword;"

  6. 11
    the attribute of urgency in tone of voice wordnet
  7. 12
    A sharp terminating border; a margin; a brink; an extreme verge.

    "The cup is right on the edge of the table."

  8. 13
    the boundary of a surface wordnet
  9. 14
    Sharpness; readiness or fitness to cut; keenness; intenseness of desire.

    "Death and persecution lose all the ill that they can have, if we do not set an edge upon them by our fears and by our vices."

  10. 15
    a line determining the limits of an area wordnet
  11. 16
    The border or part adjacent to the line of division; the beginning or early part (of a period of time)

    "in the edge of evening"

  12. 17
    A shot where the ball comes off the edge of the bat, often unintentionally.

    "2004 March 29, R. Bharat Rao Short report: Ind-Pak T1D2 Session 1 in rec.sports.cricket, Usenet Finally another edge for 4, this time dropped by the keeper"

  13. 18
    A connected pair of vertices in a graph.
  14. 19
    A level of sexual arousal that is maintained just short of reaching the point of inevitability, or climax.
  15. 20
    The point of data production in an organization (the focus of edge computing), as opposed to the cloud. attributive, often

    "Remember that edge computing refers to data that is processed on edge devices before the result goes to its destination, which could be on a public or private cloud."

Verb
  1. 1
    To move an object slowly and carefully in a particular direction. transitive

    "He edged the book across the table."

  2. 2
    provide with an edge wordnet
  3. 3
    To move slowly and carefully in a particular direction. intransitive

    "He edged away from her."

  4. 4
    lie adjacent to another or share a boundary wordnet
  5. 5
    To win by a small margin.
Show 10 more definitions
  1. 6
    advance slowly, as if by inches wordnet
  2. 7
    To hit the ball with an edge of the bat, causing a fine deflection. transitive
  3. 8
    provide with a border or edge wordnet
  4. 9
    To trim the margin of a lawn where the grass meets the sidewalk, usually with an electric or gas-powered lawn edger. transitive
  5. 10
    To furnish with an edge; to construct an edging. transitive

    "2005, Paige Gilchrist, The Big Book of Backyard Projects: Walls, Fences, Paths, Patios, Benches, Chairs & More, Section 2: Paths and Walkways, page 181, If you're edging with stone, brick, or another material in a lawn area, set the upper surfaces of the edging just at or not more than ½ inch above ground level so it won't be an obstacle to lawn mowers."

  6. 11
    To furnish with an edge, as a tool or weapon; to sharpen. transitive

    "To edge her champion sword"

  7. 12
    To form a border to; to enclose, to border. transitive

    "Edged rather than washed by the river Ganges, it trails for a couple of miles along the bank, scarcely distinguishable from the rubbish it deposits so freely."

  8. 13
    To make sharp or keen; to incite; to exasperate; to goad; to urge or egg on. figuratively

    "By such reasonings, the simple were blinded, and the malicious edged."

  9. 14
    To intentionally stay or keep someone extremely close to the point of orgasm for a long period of time. intransitive, slang, transitive

    "Near-synonym: goon"

  10. 15
    To agitate or exasperate (someone) due to constant delays of something. figuratively, slang, transitive

    "When are the developers going to release the update? They've been edging us for months with all of these trailers."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
  2. 2
    Microsoft Edge.
  3. 3
    A place name:; A village in Painswick parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref SO8409).
  4. 4
    A place name:; A hamlet in Pontesbury parish, south of Yockleton, Shropshire, England (OS grid ref SJ3908).
  5. 5
    A place name:; An unincorporated community in Brazos County, Texas, United States, founded by Dr. John Edge.

Synonyms

All synonyms
borderboundaryaabutace in the holeacerbity

Antonyms

centalcentralcentral groupcentral motif

Example

"I hit my funny bone on the edge of the table."

Common questions

What does "edge" mean?

The boundary line of a surface.

What is a synonym for "edge"?

Common synonyms include: border, boundary, a, abut, ace in the hole, acerbity.

How do you use "edge" in a sentence?

I hit my funny bone on the edge of the table.

How do you pronounce "edge"?

Pronounced /ɛd͡ʒ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English egge, from Old English eċġ, from Proto-West Germanic *aggju, from Proto-Germanic *agjō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”). See also Dutch egge, German Ecke, Swedish egg, Norwegian egg; also Welsh hogi (“to sharpen, hone”), Latin aciēs (“sharp”), acus (“needle”), Latvian ašs, ass (“sharp”), Ancient Greek ἀκίς (akís, “needle”), ἀκμή (akmḗ, “point”), and Persian آس (âs, “grinding stone”)).

Etymology 2

English topographic surname, derived from the noun edge. Compare Eck.

More for "edge"

Synonyms

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