rime
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rime
before 900; Middle English rim, Old English hrīm; cognate with Dutch rijm, Old Norse hrīm
Explanation
Rime is a type of ice that forms when the moisture in fog freezes suddenly on an object. The white frost that forms on trees along mountain ridges is rime. Rime can cause trouble for aircraft, as it also forms when a cloud's water droplets freeze to a surface, like the metal body of an airplane. Another, completely different, meaning of this word is "rhyme." It's simply an old-fashioned way to refer to the ending sounds of two words that sound alike — like "mouse" and "house." And "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" is just a very long, very old, rhyming poem.
Vocabulary lists containing rime
"Once Upon a Time," Vocabulary from the short story
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Heir
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Abel's Island
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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.
At the rime, Qantas said it had agreed to pay the fine and that the ruling holds it accountable for actions that caused "real harm" to its employees.
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
Crisp, opaque rime — now doesn’t that roll trippingly off the tongue?
From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2022
Standing around amid the fumaroles, bison are sheeted with a hundred pounds of rime and icicles.
From Salon • Apr. 21, 2019
We used to call these “family words” when I was a kid: rat, bat, cat, mat, etc., all have the “-at” rime with different consonant onsets.
From Slate • Nov. 29, 2018
Is like a monster to me, and if I hear it in a dream, then I know is rime to wake up and listen to the rooster.
From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple
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.
