just before; on the verge of; on the brink of
Used as a suffix after nouns or verb stems to indicate an imminent event or state. Often appears in dramatic or urgent contexts.
It started raining just before departure.
He turned around a company that was on the verge of bankruptcy.
just in front of; just ahead of
Less common spatial use; typically found in literary or descriptive writing. In modern speech, 直前 or 目の前 are more natural for physical location.
The car stopped just before the traffic light.
I jumped in just before the train door closed.
He had a change of heart at the very last moment.
The company hung on right up until the brink of bankruptcy.