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)
-
brims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
brimmed,
past participle, past
-
brimming
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
brims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
brimmed,
past participle, past
-
brimming
present participle
noun
-
brim,
plural
-
brims
plural
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:
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
All of his films brim with the stuff of life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 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
And when I get one eye at the edge of the bricks to see if I’m being followed, I catch a flash of a policeman’s dark blue hat with the gold around its brim.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
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
Hardy’s prose brims with assurance and wry details that come from lived experiences and conversations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 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
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
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
She remembers when the blocks up to Tin Hau Temple brimmed with food carts, trinkets, and the occasional fortune-teller.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
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
Cecilia’s eyes were brimmed with tears, and suddenly she looked ancient.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Social media is brimming with content from people like Howard who say they won’t pay high bills and advise others to not pay them, or who share tips on how to cut their bills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
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
He had packed five brimming thermos bottles of coffee in his car, so there would be absolutely no chance of running out.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
