edge

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Extreme border

Nouns

1. edge, verge, brink, brow, brim, curb, margin, limit, boundary, border, skirt, rim, flange, side; mouth, jaws, lip; frame, fringe, flounce, frill, trim[ming], edging, skirting, hem, welt, furbelow, valance, selvage.

2. threshold, entrance, gate[way], coast, bank, shore[line], watershed; quay.

Verbs — edge, verge, border, bound, skirt, rim, fringe; sidle or inch along.

Adjectives — border, bordering, rimming, fringing, marginal, skirting; labial, labiated, marginated.

Adverbs — edgewise, edgeways, sidewise, sideways, edge on.

Antonyms, see interior, middle.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [The outer portion]

Syn. border, frontier, extremity, portal, threshold, brink, boundary, end, term, limit, edging, molding, brim, rim, margin, ring, frame, side, corner, point, bend, crook, hook, split, peak, tip, turn, crust, verge, bound, ledge, skirt, outskirt(s), lip, limb, hem, welt, seam, selvage, terminator, fringe, frill, flange, flounce, list, listing, trimming, mouth, shore, strand, dike, quay, bank, beach, wharf, dock, mole, curb, crest, deckle, berm, groin, arris, gunwale, periphery, circumference, perimeter; see also rim .

Ant. surface, center*, interior.

2. [Anything linear and sharp]

Syn. blade, cutting edge, razor edge; see knife , razor .

3. [*Advantage]

Syn. upper hand, handicap, head start; see advantage 1 , 2 .

• on edge,

Syn. nervous, tense, uptight*; see excited , irritable .

• set one's teeth on edge,

Syn. irritate, annoy, provoke; see bother 2 .

• take the edge off,

Syn. weaken, subdue, dull; see soften 2 .

See Synonym Study at rim . v.

Syn. trim, border, fringe, bind; see decorate , trim 2 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

1. margin border, boundary, verge, outline, perimeter, skirt, rim, fringe, periphery, limit, brink.

2. advantage leg up, handicap, head start, upper hand.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. The cutting part of a sharp instrument: blade. See SHARP. 2. A cutting quality: bite, incisiveness, keenness, sharpness, sting. See SHARP. 3. A fairly narrow line or space forming a boundary: border, borderline, brim, brink, edging, fringe, margin, periphery, rim, verge. Chiefly Military: perimeter. See EDGE. 4. The periphery of a city or town: environs, fringe, outskirt (often used in plural), skirt (used in plural), suburb (used in plural). See EDGE. 5. A transitional interval beyond which some new action or different state of affairs is likely to begin or occur: borderline, brink, point, threshold, verge. See EDGE. 6. A dominating position, as in a conflict: advantage, better1, bulge, draw, drop, superiority, upper hand, vantage. Informal: inside track, jump. See OVER. II verb 1. To give a sharp edge to: acuminate, hone1, sharpen, whet. See SHARP. 2. To put or form a border on: border, bound2, fringe, margin, rim, skirt, verge. See EDGE. 3. To advance carefully and gradually: ease, sidle. See CAREFUL, MOVE. 4. To introduce gradually and slyly: foist, infiltrate, insinuate, wind2, work, worm. See ENTER.