Jump To:

• Pacific Rim
  Pacific Rim

  noun

  a geographic area that includes all the landmasses that border the Pacific Ocean when considered collectively, but which often refers specifically and socioeconomically to eastern Asia: What do the economies in Europe and the Pacific Rim tell us about current trends?
• Pacific rim
  Pacific rim

  noun

  the regions, countries, etc, that lie on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, esp in the context of their developing manufacturing capacity and consumer markets

Pacific Rim

American  

[puh-sif-ik rim] / pəˈsɪf ɪk ˈrɪm /

noun

1. a geographic area that includes all the landmasses that border the Pacific Ocean when considered collectively, but which often refers specifically and socioeconomically to eastern Asia: What do the economies in Europe and the Pacific Rim tell us about current trends?

   coastal erosion in the Pacific Rim;

   What do the economies in Europe and the Pacific Rim tell us about current trends?

---

Pacific rim British  

noun

1. the regions, countries, etc, that lie on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, esp in the context of their developing manufacturing capacity and consumer markets

---

Etymology

Origin of Pacific Rim

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Pacific Rim Pacific rim

But Cheung said that California’s attraction for foreign-owned businesses extended far beyond the Pacific Rim, given the predominance of European countries on the list.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Crane visited Japan last year and decided to boost Houston's Pacific Rim presence with scouts in Tokyo, Taiwan and South Korea.

From Barron's ● Jan. 6, 2026

Instead of tit for tat, the prime minister is pivoting Canada with precision toward alternative trade blocs like Europe and the Pacific Rim.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2025

“Salmon recovery funding is not limitless,” said Jessica Helsley, government affairs director at the nonprofit Wild Salmon Center, which works on salmon protection and restoration in Pacific Rim countries.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024

At the Pacific Rim Championships in April 2016, I debuted a brand-new, upgraded floor routine set to fast, upbeat samba music that I thought would go over well with the crowd in Rio.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

They span the Pacific rim, from Chile to Russia to Thailand to Australia.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2021

Negotiations on the Pacific trade deal between the U.S. and 11 other Pacific rim countries concluded in October.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2016

U.S. lawmakers and human rights activists say the decision was intended to smooth the way for a trade agreement among 12 Pacific rim nations, including Malaysia.

From US News ● Jul. 31, 2015

The meeting also comes as attention heightens in the U.S. over a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement - a 12-nation deal to liberalize commerce around the Pacific rim.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 27, 2015

Bruce's vividly coloured chamber score skims the Pacific rim for influences, combining gamelan crashes and plunky pentatonics with the incongruous wheeze of an accordion to create a beguiling, imaginary hybrid of Indo-European folk music.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 24, 2013