rim
noun
the outer edge, border, margin, or brink of something, especially of a circular object.
rim
American
[rim]
/ rɪm /
noun
-
rims
plural
-
the outer edge, border, margin, or brink of something, especially of a circular object.
- Antonyms:
- center
-
any edge, margin, or frame added to or around a central object or area.
-
the outer circle of a wheel, attached to the hub by spokes.
-
a circular strip of metal forming the connection between an automobile wheel and tire, either permanently attached to or removable from the wheel.
-
a drive wheel or flywheel, as on a spinning mule.
-
Basketball. the metal ring from which the net is suspended to form the basket.
-
Journalism. the outer edge of a usually U -shaped copy desk, occupied by the copyreaders.
-
Metallurgy. (in an ingot) an outer layer of metal having a composition different from that of the center.
verb (used with object)
-
rims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rimmed,
past participle, past
-
rimming
present participle
-
to furnish with a rim, border, or margin.
-
(of a golf ball or putt) to roll around the edge of (a hole) but not go in.
-
Basketball. (of a basketball) to roll around (the rim of the basket) and not go in.
-
to coat or encrust the rim of (a glass).
Rim each cocktail glass with salt.
rim
1
British
/ rɪm /
noun
-
the raised edge of an object, esp of something more or less circular such as a cup or crater
-
the peripheral part of a wheel, to which the tyre is attached
-
basketball the hoop from which the net is suspended
verb
-
to put a rim on (a pot, cup, wheel, etc)
-
slang to lick, kiss, or suck the anus of (one's sexual partner)
-
ball games (of a ball) to run around the edge of (a hole, basket, etc)
RIM
2
British
abbreviation
Synonym Usage
Rim, brim refer to the boundary of a circular or curved area. A rim is a line or surface bounding such an area; an edge or border: the rim of a glass. Brim usually means the inside of the rim, at the top of a hollow object (except of a hat), and is used particularly when the object contains something: The cup was filled to the brim.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rimsimple
-
rimssimple
-
have rimmedperfect
-
has rimmedperfect
-
am rimmingprogressive
-
are rimmingprogressive
-
is rimmingprogressive
-
have been rimmingperfect progressive
-
has been rimmingperfect progressive
Past
-
rimmedsimple
-
had rimmedperfect
-
was rimmingprogressive
-
were rimmingprogressive
-
had been rimmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rim
First recorded before 1150; Middle English; Old English -rima (in compounds); cognate with Old Norse rimi “raised strip of land, ridge”
Explanation
A rim is an edge. The rim of a mug is where you put your mouth to drink hot chocolate, and the rim holding a basketball net is where you're aiming when you shoot the ball. People often use the word rim for the lip of a cup or bowl. You can also use the word rim for the circle at the top of a basketball hoop. There's also the rim of a wheel — the part the tire is attached to — and the rim of your eyeglasses. Rim comes from the Old English rima, "edge," which appears in the Old English word særima, "seashore," or "rim of the sea."
Vocabulary lists containing rim
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:
Images that clearly showed the crater rim allowed researchers to measure its width at about 60 feet.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
The brighter streaks that hug the crater's rim were fresh material excavated from deeper underground.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
Just the sight of the glasses, dewy with condensation on the outside and filled to the rim with clinking ice, nearly chilled my body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Gently press one pastry square into each prepared muffin cup, leaving the pointed corners extending above the rim.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
She hands the heavy mug to me, her lipstick a bloody crescent on the rim.
From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
After the acquisition in 2010, many engineers moved over to RIM to build a mobile operating system for the BlackBerry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Recently fired and fired up, Jim sees the device’s potential, making a deal to acquire part of RIM in exchange for cash and expertise.
From New York Times ● May 11, 2023
Both Balsillie and Lazaridis left RIM in 2012.
From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2023
Saudi Arabia, India, and others were saying RIM had to open up to national intelligence.
From BusinessWeek ● Dec. 5, 2013
RIM is certainly hoping that the late-March release of the Z10 will reverse its fortunes this quarter, but it has a long way to go in reaching the heights of its heyday.
From Forbes ● Jun. 11, 2013
That low angle means crater rims, mountains, ridges, and even small surface bumps can block sunlight from reaching lower terrain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
The arms are forged from motorbike springs and gears, its shoulders are curve from car rims, the spine is moulded from a fuel tank and its knees are pieced together with chains and suspension parts.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
Though Real Madrid would shape him into the best young player in Europe, Doncic believes the foundations of his game were set earlier, in Slovenia, on the playground, outside, on crooked rims, without adults hovering.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2025
Cocktails were even served garnished with cherries and salted rims in photos of Abrego Garcia and Van Hollen that were released by Bukele’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 2025
“We were eating leather from the seats and bows of saddles,’’ rims one all-too-typical reminiscence.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
From almost any vantage point, the Salton Sea appears lifeless — a gray expanse rimmed with salt and windblown dust.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
I like her rimmed bowl for breakfast or a light lunch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025
Prosper, who wore a grey T-shirt, attended his hearing wearing black rimmed glasses.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2025
The course was rimmed in faces, all eyes on Spencer.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Beyond the museum, the grassy hills rimming the building will also be expanded and extended because Angelenos—children and adults—have a beloved tradition of rolling down them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
We were alone but for several thousand flamingos rimming the edge of a quarter of the deep lake in a pink arc.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
Beside her, Ryder, gray hairs rimming his eyes, cropped grass on the lawn of his new home, untethered and, without a fence around him, free.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 21, 2022
Sand and gravel deposits can be found along 2,000 miles of Lake Bonneville’s ancient shorelines rimming the valleys of northern Utah, says John Macfarlane, a neurosurgeon on Moench’s board.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 11, 2020
Uhmma does not sleep, circles of worry rimming her eyes.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
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.
