How to Use brinkmanship in a Sentence

brinkmanship

noun
  • At the very least, the stage looks set for brinkmanship, if not an open trade war.
    — Dominic Gates, The Seattle Times, 12 Feb. 2018
  • There was only fear and last minute brinkmanship.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
  • One big wild card for the Fed is the brinkmanship over the debt ceiling.
    — Ben Casselman, New York Times, 26 May 2023
  • Their brinkmanship has played out against the backdrop of their re-election bids.
    — J. David Goodman, New York Times, 25 Sep. 2022
  • That kind of fiscal brinkmanship has persisted in the years since.
    — Bryan Mena, CNN, 2 Aug. 2023
  • The sheer brinkmanship of his performances was part of the show's power.
    — CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Their brinkmanship has played out against the backdrop of their reelection bids.
    — Michael C. Bender, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Sep. 2022
  • The brinkmanship has to end, and there shouldn't be another crisis.
    — Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 1 Oct. 2023
  • Ten years later, that ol’ debt ceiling brinkmanship has returned with a vengeance.
    — Patrick Caldwell, The New Republic, 6 Dec. 2021
  • Disarmament experts warn that this is just one of the risks in a new era of brinkmanship.
    — W.j. Hennigan, Time, 1 Feb. 2018
  • That brinkmanship play was distasteful back then, but the leaders picked a lane and pursued it.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 June 2026
  • The pause in brinkmanship reflects the quandary now facing Beijing.
    — Jim Puzzanghera, latimes.com, 11 July 2018
  • The two sides have been unable to reach agreement despite an extended game of brinkmanship.
    — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2020
  • The brinkmanship over the plant comes as both sides struggle to make meaningful gains on the battlefield.
    — Isabel Coles, WSJ, 27 Aug. 2022
  • The game of arithmetic brinkmanship every EV owner plays is up.
    — Alistair Charlton, Wired, 24 Feb. 2022
  • But investors were rattled even without a default, with the brinkmanship causing stocks to plunge.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 19 Jan. 2023
  • So strap in your seat belts for a monthlong round of brinkmanship over federal spending and the national debt.
    — Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2021
  • That Simeone’s team had been able to run City so close was not despite its brinkmanship, but because of it.
    — New York Times, 13 Apr. 2022
  • The government is now reliant on him, but struggles to respond to his risk-taking, brinkmanship, and caprice.
    — Ronan Farrow, The New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2023
  • There’s a lot of brinkmanship and things like that, because the Whisperers are so different.
    — Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 July 2019
  • Its removal lightens the mood but there is still a lot of brinkmanship at play with both sides pushing the limits of what a real deadline is.
    — Alberto Nardelli, Bloomberg.com, 8 Dec. 2020
  • The brinkmanship between Tehran and Washington is getting all the more tense.
    — Washington Post, 29 June 2021
  • Trump also railed against Canada on Thursday, as the tariffs brinkmanship reached new heights.
    — Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Even though the limit was increased in the nick of time then, the brinkmanship did significant economic harm.
    — Mark Zandi, Philly.com, 28 July 2017
  • But perhaps that’s why software criticism is needed more than ever in the midst of the brinkmanship between the two worlds.
    — WIRED, 23 Feb. 2023
  • The Russian leader has a history of brinkmanship and prior buildups on the border have come to naught.
    — Jennifer Jacobs, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Nov. 2021
  • Over the next six hours, gambles are taken, hands are shaken, and deals are made in a flurry of brinkmanship, shouting, and testosterone.
    — WIRED, 5 Jan. 2023
  • As a result, the next round of debt limit brinkmanship could be the most fraught on record — as evidenced by the battle over the speakership.
    — Jim Tankersley, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Jan. 2023
  • Even before that meeting, the tide had turned for Paramount in a swell of power, politics and brinkmanship.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
  • As a result, the next round of debt-limit brinkmanship could be the most fraught on record — as evidenced by the battle over the speakership.
    — Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brinkmanship.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: