Meanings
- idiomaticVery near to; ready to; just about to; such that something is imminent.
The old building seemed to be on the point of collapse.
1 more example
As soon as Julia returned with a constable, Timothy, who was on the point of exhaustion, prepared to give over to him gratefully. The newcomer turned out to be a powerful youngster, fully trained and eager to help, and he stripped off his tunic at once.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLCSynonyms: at the point of, upon the point of, on the cusp, on the verge, on the brink, ready
Synonyms & antonyms
prepositionVery near to; ready to; just about to; such that something is imminent.
Translations
Arabic عَلَى وَشٰك
- عَلَى وَشٰك (ʕalā wašāk)very near to
Finnish -pisteessä
- -pisteessävery near to
Māori whano, hono
- whanovery near to
- honovery near to
Polish na granicy
- na granicyvery near to
Russian на гра́ни
- на гра́ни (na gráni)very near to
Scottish Gaelic an impis
- an impisvery near to
Cite this entry
on the point of. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20point%20of
“on the point of.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20point%20of. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “on the point of,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/on%20the%20point%20of.
Source: on the point of on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.