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

"We can't even fill the coffee cups to the brim or they spill," his son Linus, 19, added with an air of amused exasperation.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

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

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

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

It must have rained, for the glass was beaded with moisture, and water licked the brim of the leak bucket in the corner.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Philadelphia, meanwhile, brims with talent, including new hire Jaylen Brown, landed via a baffling trade by Boston.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

If school uniform rules are relaxed, children should wear loose, light-coloured clothing where possible and sunhats with wide brims.

From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026

Mr. Elliott’s narrative brims with enthusiasm for its subject.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 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

Folks even nodded the brims of their hats at the cap’n, which surprised him much as it surprised me!

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

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

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Our plates brimmed with color — yellow, green, red and orange — unlike the gloom outside.

From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026

Everything about the production embraced simplicity and sincerity, and the result was an ultimately sad and strange tale that nevertheless brimmed with unforced warmth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 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

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

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

A week later, on Jan. 29, 2020, he’s brimming with excitement when journalist Lou Dobbs tells him he recommended Mr. Trump consult the doctor on the outbreak.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Outside, on the museum’s East West Bank Plaza, 10 century-old olive trees are brimming with paper wishes from the public.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 10, 2026

He worked at CBS News for 37 years and departs with "a heart brimming with gratitude", he wrote in his statement.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

It had been a day full of challenges, all of which Reynie had met successfully, and when he stepped through the front door he was brimming with confidence.

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

Related Words

• fill
• fill up
• overflow
• swell
• teem