Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The uppermost edge of a hollow container or natural basin.
  • noun A projecting rim or edge, especially around the bottom of a hat.
  • noun Full capacity.
  • intransitive verb To be full to the brim, often to overflowing.
  • intransitive verb To be abundantly filled or supplied.
  • intransitive verb To fill to the brim.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The sea; ocean; water; flood.
  • noun A brink, edge, or margin; more especially, the line of junction between a body of water and its bank, or between the bank and the adjoining level: as, to descend to the brim of a lake; the river is full to the brim.
  • noun The upper edge of anything hollow: as, the brim of a cup.
  • noun A projecting edge, border, or rim round anything hollow: as, the brim of a hat.
  • To be in heat, as a boar or sow.
  • To fill to the brim, upper edge, or top.
  • To be full to the brim: as, a brimming glass.
  • To coast along near; skirt.
  • To brim over, to run over the brim; overflow: often used in a figurative sense.
  • noun The forehead.
  • noun A fish of the family Centrarchidæ, the long-eared sunfish, Lepomis auritus.
  • Famous; celebrated; well known; notorious.
  • Violent; fierce; terrible; sharp.
  • Strong; powerful.
  • Sharp; acute.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The rim, border, or upper edge of a cup, dish, or any hollow vessel used for holding anything.
  • noun The edge or margin, as of a fountain, or of the water contained in it; the brink; border.
  • noun The rim of a hat.
  • intransitive verb To be full to the brim.
  • intransitive verb (literally or figuratively) to be so full that some of the contents flows over the brim; as, a cup brimming over with wine; a man brimming over with fun.
  • transitive verb To fill to the brim, upper edge, or top.
  • adjective obsolete Fierce; sharp; cold. See breme.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun obsolete The sea; ocean; water; flood.
  • noun an edge or border (originally specifically of the sea or a body of water)
  • noun the topmost rim or lip of a container
  • noun a projecting rim, especially of a hat
  • verb to be full to overflowing
  • verb Of pigs: to be in heat, to rut.
  • adjective obsolete fierce; sharp; cold

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be completely full
  • noun the top edge of a vessel or other container
  • verb fill as much as possible
  • noun a circular projection that sticks outward from the crown of a hat

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English brimme.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English brim, brym, brymm ("surf, flood, wave, sea, ocean, water, sea-edge, shore"), from Old English *brimman, bremman ("to rage, roar"), from Proto-Germanic *bremmanan, *bremanan (“to roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerem-, *bʰrem(e)-, *breme- (“to hum, make a noise”). Cognate with Icelandic brim ("sea, surf"), Dutch brommen ("to hum, buzz"), German brummen ("to hum, drone"), Latin fremō ("roar, growl", v), Ancient Greek βρέμω (brémou, "roar, roar like the ocean", v).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English brim, brem, brimme ("margin, edge of a river, lake, or sea"), probably from Middle English brim ("sea, ocean, surf, shore"). See above. Cognate with Dutch berm ("bank, riverbank"), Bavarian Bräm ("border, stripe"), German Bräme, Brame ("border, edge"), Danish bræmme ("border, edge, brim"), Swedish bräm ("border, edge"), Icelandic barmur ("edge, verge, brink"). Related to berm.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Either from breme, or directly from Old English bremman ("to roar, rage") (though not attested in Middle English).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

See breme.

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Examples

  • Ensure that the width of the lower brim is not too broad as this would direct most of the light just downwards onto the table and that the lower brim width will define the light distribution pattern.

    Multi-Functional Lamp : Angel 2009

  • The sweatband under my hat brim is soaking when I see the thatched roof of a little puesto.

    First flight - an excerpt from the book: Agave Marias 2006

  • The sweatband under my hat brim is soaking when I see the thatched roof of a little puesto.

    First flight - an excerpt from the book: Agave Marias 2006

  • No sword-grass grows about the margin; there are no blue water forget-me-nots, nor broad lily leaves; the grass at the brim is short and thick, and the weeping willows that droop over the edge grow picturesquely enough.

    Eve and David 2007

  • No sword-grass grows about the margin; there are no blue water forget-me-nots, nor broad lily leaves; the grass at the brim is short and thick, and the weeping willows that droop over the edge grow picturesquely enough.

    Eve and David 2007

  • No sword-grass grows about the margin; there are no blue water forget-me-nots, nor broad lily leaves; the grass at the brim is short and thick, and the weeping willows that droop over the edge grow picturesquely enough.

    Lost Illusions Honor�� de Balzac 1824

  • No sword-grass grows about the margin; there are no blue water forget-me-nots, nor broad lily leaves; the grass at the brim is short and thick, and the weeping willows that droop over the edge grow picturesquely enough.

    Eve and David Honor�� de Balzac 1824

  • It’s quite a cute hat, and I learned a nice technique in the way the little brim is made.

    2004 November 2004

  • In any World Cup, any stadium that is anything less than full to the brim is a bit sacrilegious to viewers like me who would give a pinkie to be there.

    Ahmed Rehab: What the Vuvuzela Is Up With the Jabulani? Why World Cup 2010 Sucks So Far 2010

  • A hat with a brim is a must if you decide to take the plunge.

    Long May You Run Chris Cooper 2010

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