use-icon

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

use-icon

THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

open-icon

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

scroll-icon

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

100-words-icon

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

open-icon

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

edge (ĕj)
Share:
n.
1.
a. A thin, sharpened side, as of the blade of a cutting instrument.
b. The degree of sharpness of a cutting blade.
c. A penetrating, incisive quality: "His simplicity sets off the satire, and gives it a finer edge" (William Hazlitt).
d. A slight but noticeable sharpness, harshness, or discomforting quality: His voice had an edge to it.
e. Keenness, as of desire or enjoyment; zest: The brisk walk gave an edge to my appetite.
2.
a. The line or area farthest away from the middle: lifted the carpet's edge. See Synonyms at border.
b. The line of intersection of two surfaces: the edge of a brick.
c. A rim or brink: the edge of a cliff.
d. The point at which something is likely to begin: on the edge of war.
3. A margin of superiority; an advantage: a slight edge over the opposition.
v. edged, edg·ing, edg·es
v.tr.
1.
a. To give an edge to (a blade); sharpen.
b. To tilt (a ski or both skis) in such a way that an edge or both edges bite into the snow.
2.
a. To put a border or edge on: edged the quilt with embroidery.
b. To act as or be an edge of: bushes that edged the garden path.
3. To advance or push slightly or gradually: The dog edged the ball with its nose.
4. To trim or shape the edge of: edge a lawn.
5. To surpass or beat by a small margin. Often used with out: The runner edged her opponent out at the last moment.
v.intr.
To move gradually or hesitantly: The child edged toward the door.
Idioms:
on edge
Highly tense or nervous; irritable.
on the edge
1. In a precarious position.
2. In a state of keen excitement, as from danger or risk: "the excitement of combat, of living on the edge" (Nelson DeMille).

[Middle English egge, from Old English ecg; see ak- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

edgeless adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.