1
as in verge
an interval of time just before the onset of something medical researchers who are on the cusp of a major breakthrough

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2
as in end
the last and usually sharp or tapering part of something long and narrow the cusp of a fang

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cusp Turns out, all those early hard knocks paid dividends for the younger Bech brother, propelling him to the cusp of an NFL career. Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 1 Mar. 2025 Right on the cusp of Aspen Mountain is the luxurious and sprawling St. Regis resort which, in the summer, has the best pool in town. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2025 These teeth reveal distinct cusp patterns that are virtually identical to those of parapithecids and eosimiids, families of African primates that lived over 30 million years ago. Scott Travers, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025 Leading the newcomers to the Paris schedule is Alaïa, who will show on March 4 at 7 p.m., after previously showing at the cusp between men’s and couture weeks. Lily Templeton, WWD, 3 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cusp
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cusp
Noun
  • Even prior to the court-packing plan, a series of cases challenging Roosevelt's plan to take the U.S. off the gold standard and prohibit payment of debts brought the country to the verge of a constitutional crisis.
    Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
  • Another great performance in a go-for-broke horror flick about a woman well over the verge of a nervous breakdown.
    Amy Nicholson, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • The teaser at the end of this week’s hour-long episode promises bonafide flagship mess: Obnoxious guests, police coming onboard, deckhand Kyle apparently hooking up with a guest.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 June 2025
  • By the end of the nineteenth century, Green-Wood was said to be the second most popular tourist attraction in New York State, after Niagara Falls.
    Paige Williams, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
Noun
  • Arresting climate change and the loss of species that will result is a critical step away from that brink, but one that policymakers and the public are embracing only slowly.
    Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Man Utd and Tottenham on brink of face-off for Europa League title (CBS) Football is never done until it’s done — Manchester United’s ‘portrait of pandemonium’ against Lyon proved that — but there’s only minor jeopardy in predicting that the Europa League is headed for an all Premier League final.
    Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 May 2025
Noun
  • Illinois would be the first state to require a distinction on consumer retail transactions between goods, taxes and tips, creating the need for what opponents say would be a complicated and expensive software change.
    Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2025
  • Metro Crime Stoppers can accept anonymous tips online or by phone.
    Racquel Bazos, Baltimore Sun, 2 June 2025
Noun
  • While its spending set a record for a U.S. judicial contest, the race that ended Tuesday was the apex of a trend building for years as state Supreme Court races across the country have gotten increasingly costly and vitriolic.
    John Hanna, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Music has continued to remain atop the charts and is battling Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Deluxe for another week at the apex.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cusp.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cusp. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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