brim
1 Americannoun
-
the upper edge of anything hollow; rim; brink.
the brim of a cup.
-
a projecting edge.
the brim of a hat.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
-
the upper rim of a vessel
the brim of a cup
-
a projecting rim or edge
the brim of a hat
-
the brink or edge of something
verb
Synonym Usage
See rim.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
brimsimple
-
brimssimple
-
have brimmedperfect
-
has brimmedperfect
-
am brimmingprogressive
-
are brimmingprogressive
-
is brimmingprogressive
-
have been brimmingperfect progressive
-
has been brimmingperfect progressive
Past
-
brimmedsimple
-
had brimmedperfect
-
was brimmingprogressive
-
were brimmingprogressive
-
had been brimmingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
The brim is the top of a container, like the edge of a cup. Also, if a cup is brimming, it’s full. This word has a couple meanings related to fullness. If a cup is full, it’s filled to the brim. The brim is the top. Containers such as buckets and pitchers have brims too. Also, the bucket is brimming if it's totally full. A brimming container is likely to spill. People can brim too: you can be brimming with enthusiasm or happiness. Like a cup about to spill, you can’t quite contain yourself when you’re brimming with joy.
Vocabulary lists containing brim
"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from all 4 Acts
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"The Crucible" -- Vocabulary from Act 2
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"Birches" by Robert Frost
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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.
See Examples For:
All of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most celebrated works brim with the optimism that is among the cherished ideals associated with the American character.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Leinster, a side full to the brim of Irish internationals, did not have an answer as Bordeaux romped to a 41-19 victory in Bilbao to become only the sixth side to retain their European crown.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
Meanwhile, songs like “Down South” brim with nostalgia for days gone by — in this instance, memories of a hitchhiking jaunt with Harrison.
From Salon ● May 12, 2026
The result is storage facilities that are full to the brim.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
He felt the tingling in his hands, the lightness in his head, the heaviness of his heart, and it consumed him, filled him to the brim with a bitterness and voracity that burned his throat.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Each frame is meticulously constructed; every beat of the script brims with passion.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
Mr. Mikhail’s book brims with details of their lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Another reviewer says the film brims with "more rage than it knows what to do with".
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
“Little Amélie” brims with feeling for every precious moment of it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
When you’re married to the president, you come to understand quickly that the world brims with chaos, that disasters unfurl without notice.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
And social media brimmed with foreign fans admiring the US way of life.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
The late 1990s brimmed with predictions, often contradictory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025
At Hickory Hill, her children’s days had brimmed with well-planned activities, Brad Blank, a close friend of her children, told Vanity Fair in 1997.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2024
The scientists brimmed with excitement over the potentially life-altering medical applications of such a device — restoring communication to people with locked-in syndrome, for instance, whose near full-body paralysis made talking impossible.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2024
Jack took up a coconut shell that brimmed with fresh water from among a group that was arranged in the shade, and drank.
From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
But dig deeper, and one will find that Tyler’s discography is brimming with hits that put her unmistakable rasp to thrilling use.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Iran can only substantially raise its oil production once storage tanks that are already brimming with crude get drained, according to analysts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
One recent Friday, Leonidas Georgiou, 36, stepped up to the kiosk, brimming with enthusiasm.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
The first quarter is peak for the gym industry, as potential new members are brimming with fitness-focused New Year’s resolutions.
From MarketWatch ● May 8, 2026
The water was brimming with creatures, and the station was bristling with birds, but Brightbill and Glimmer ignored the other animals and concentrated on finding Roz.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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.
