verge on

verb

To approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something.

“The excitement in the room began to verge on chaos.”

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Meanings

verbverge on (third-person singular simple present verges on, present participle verging on, simple past and past participle verged on)

present singular third person verges on · participle present verging on · participle past verged on · past verged on

  1. idiomatictransitiveTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something.

    The excitement in the room began to verge on chaos.

    4 more examples

    His actions verge on insanity, making everyone nervous.

    Her ideas seem to verge on the edge of brilliance and madness.

    Bungee jumping verges on the insane, if you ask me.

    1847, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter XVIII It was verging on dusk, and the clock had already given warning of the hour to dress for dinner, when little Adèle, who knelt by me in the drawing-room window-seat, suddenly exclaimed […]

Translations

Finnish hipoa, lähestyä
  • hipoaTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
  • lähestyäTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
French friser
  • friserTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
German grenzen an
  • grenzen anTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
Russian грани́чить
  • грани́чить (graníčitʹ)To approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
Spanish rayar en
  • rayar enTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
Swedish vara på gränsen till, vara snudd på
  • vara på gränsen tillTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
  • vara snudd påTo approach or come close to something; to border or be on the edge of something
Cite this entry
APA

verge on. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verge%20on

MLA

“verge on.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verge%20on. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “verge on,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/verge%20on.

Source: verge on on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.