Edgewise

//ˈɛdʒwaɪz// adj, adv

adj, adv ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Edgeways. not-comparable
Adverb
  1. 1
    Edgeways.

    "By placing the sword edgewise, the weaver keeps the countershed open, in order to shoot through the shuttle."

  2. 2
    As if by an edge.

    "Once his boss got started, Jim just couldn’t get a word in edgewise."

Adverb
  1. 1
    with the edge forward or on, by, or toward the edge wordnet
  2. 2
    as if by an edge; barely wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
edgewaysasideaskanceaskantasquintbroadside

Example

More examples

"Whatever I say, he has a comeback ready. You can't get a word in edgewise."

Etymology

From edge + -wise. Compare English edgeling (“edgeways”) and edgelong.

Related phrases

get a word in edgewise

More for "edgewise"

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.