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Synonyms

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.

verb (used without object)

brimmed, brimming

  1. to be full to the brim.

verb (used with object)

brimmed, brimming

  1. to fill to the brim.

brim 2 American  
[brim] / brɪm /

noun

plural

brim,

plural

brims

  1. Southern U.S. bream.

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to fill or be full to the brim

    eyes brimming with tears
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
brim Idioms  

  1. see filled to the brim.

Related Words

See rim.

Other Word Forms

  • brimless adjective
  • brimmingly adverb
  • unbrimming adjective

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”

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.

They have a squad brimming with big names including Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane.

From BBC

He would have preferred to start afresh next season - and maybe somewhere else if Spurs are a Championship club - but he is confident, talented and brimming with self-belief.

From BBC

Once his win became official, Woodland looked to the sky, exhaled and pushed the brim of his cap down to cover his eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Another reviewer says the film brims with "more rage than it knows what to do with".

From BBC

Brendan told a rally in her honour in Lurgan Park that the family were brimming with pride over what she had achieved in life.

From BBC

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.