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.

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verb (used without object)

• brims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• brimmed,
  past participle,  past
• brimming
  present participle

1. to be full to the brim.

verb (used with object)

• brims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• brimmed,
  past participle,  past
• brimming
  present participle

1. to fill to the brim.

brim ² American  

[brim] / brɪm /

noun

• brim,
  plural
• brims
  plural

1. Southern U.S. bream.

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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

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verb

1. to fill or be full to the brim

   eyes brimming with tears

brim Idioms  

1. see filled to the brim.

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Synonym Usage

See rim.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• brimless
  adjective
• unbrimming
  adjective
• brimmingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• brim
  plural
• brims
  plural

Participles

• brimming
  present
• brimmed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• brim
  simple
• brims
  simple
• have brimmed
  perfect
• has brimmed
  perfect
• am brimming
  progressive
• are brimming
  progressive
• is brimming
  progressive
• have been brimming
  perfect progressive
• has been brimming
  perfect progressive

Past

• brimmed
  simple
• had brimmed
  perfect
• was brimming
  progressive
• were brimming
  progressive
• had been brimming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will brim
  simple
• will have brimmed
  perfect
• will be brimming
  progressive
• will have been brimming
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brim brims brimmed brimming

I didn’t get to speak with Steinem for my project—her office politely declined due to her schedule, which even in her late 80s was packed to the brim.

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026

A few metres away, his mother Beatrice was busy ladling out and flipping crepes spread from brim to brim with a generous layer of chocolate-hazelnut spread.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 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

Filling the stockpile to the brim will cost around $20 billion according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026

He takes the upside-down sunglasses off the brim of Ben-Ben’s cap and then grabs the pair off Malik’s.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

The story brims with humor, much of it involving Ms. Korsgaard’s attempt to square her work as a budding naturalist with her life as a spouse and parent of three young sons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

They loved the camera, eyeing it like prey while tipping the brims of their cowboy hats.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026

Another reviewer says the film brims with "more rage than it knows what to do with".

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026

These vignettes are where Gyllenhaal’s directorial eye shines the brightest, and where “The Bride!” brims with promise — just before the first of the film’s several unexplained narrative shifts.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

How could they sit there without twitching a muscle, even with the black flies buzzing under their bonnet brims?

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

Quinn Kelsey’s sumptuous baritone brimmed with lyricism along with its power, expressing Macbeth’s ambition and terror at the same time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

And social media brimmed with foreign fans admiring the US way of life.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

The three Graham works I caught brimmed with powerful physicality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

On the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya's capital, many areas that once brimmed with arabica have been paved over for housing estates or shopping malls.

From Salon ● Jul. 24, 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

During the last floods in 2023, many siphoned water from the brimming canals to their fields.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Lebanon is brimming with archaeological finds showcasing its rich history over thousands of years, from the Phoenician, Persian, Roman and Byzantine periods, the Crusades, and Arab and Islamic sultanates and empires.

From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026

Huffman’s characterization of Bree is three-dimensional and completely straight-faced, brimming with compassion and curiosity — and, really, so very funny, but without ever making Bree the butt of the joke.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026

Its narrow, winding streets are brimming with theaters, restaurants and the highest concentration of pubs in the city.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Hanna craned her head up at me, brown eyes brimming with excitement.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• fill
• fill up
• overflow
• swell
• teem