Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

brim

1 American  
[brim] / brɪm /

noun

  1. the upper edge of anything hollow; rim; brink.

    the brim of a cup.

  2. a projecting edge.

    the brim of a hat.

  3. margin.

verb (used without object)

brimmed, brimming

  1. to be full to the brim.

verb (used with object)

brimmed, brimming

  1. to fill to the brim.

brim 2 American  
[brim] / brɪm /

noun

plural

brim,

plural

brims

  1. Southern U.S. bream.

brim British  
/ brɪm /

noun

  1. the upper rim of a vessel

    the brim of a cup

  2. a projecting rim or edge

    the brim of a hat

  3. the brink or edge of something

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to fill or be full to the brim

    eyes brimming with tears
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
brim Idioms  

  1. see filled to the brim.

Related Words

See rim.

Other Word Forms

  • brimless adjective
  • brimmingly adverb
  • unbrimming adjective

Etymology

Origin of brim

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English brimme “brink, rim” (earlier, “shore, bank”); apparently akin to Middle High German brem, ( German Bräme ), Old Norse barmr “rim, edge”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The result is storage facilities that are full to the brim.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

The salads brim with color and vibrancy, inviting us to rethink how we nourish our bodies when we’re hit with cold weather.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

Sumayyah Zara Sillah's eyes light up as she takes hold of a takeaway box filled to the brim with strips of golden-coated Nashville-style hot tenders, dripping with sauce.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

All three sections brim with short essays on various plant species such as rose, clover, iris, violet, daisy and lily of the valley, which Dior fashioned into silhouettes and blossoming decorative surfaces.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

His notebooks brim with ideas for massive projects.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.