Use brim for the upper edge of something that can hold liquid or other contents. The phrase to the brim means filled as high as possible.
Use brim for the upper edge of something that can hold liquid or other contents. The phrase to the brim means filled as high as possible.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| The glass was full of the brim. | The glass was full to the brim. |
| Water reached to the brim of the cup. | Water reached the brim of the cup. |
| She filled the bowl until the brim with soup. | She filled the bowl to the brim with soup. |
Use brim for the projecting part of a hat. For a baseball cap, brim, bill, and visor may all be heard, but brim is the broader general word.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| He wore a wide brim on his head. | He wore a wide-brimmed hat on his head. |
| The brim's hat was black. | The hat's brim was black. |
| She pulled the hat's crown over her eyes. | She pulled the hat's brim over her eyes. |
Use brim most often in the pattern brim with. It works literally for containers and figuratively for emotions or qualities, as in eyes brimming with tears or a room brimming with energy.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Her eyes brimmed tears. | Her eyes brimmed with tears. |
| The room was brimming of excitement. | The room was brimming with excitement. |
| The cup brim with water. | The cup brimmed with water. |
Brim is concrete for cups, bowls, and hats, and expressive in phrases such as brim with tears, brim with confidence, and full to the brim.
Brimming of joy should be brimming with joy. For containers, to the brim is the natural phrase, not until the brim.
From Middle English brimme, meaning an edge or margin. It is related to Middle High German brem, also meaning edge. The verb developed later from the noun, first meaning to fill up to the brim.
What does brim mean?
Brim means the top edge of a container, the projecting edge of a hat, or as a verb, to be full or almost overflowing.
What does full to the brim mean?
Full to the brim means filled all the way to the top edge, with no extra space left.
What is the brim of a hat?
It is the part that sticks out from the lower edge of a hat or cap, often to shade the face.
What preposition follows brimming?
The usual preposition is with, as in brimming with tears or brimming with confidence.
Is brim a noun or a verb?
It can be both. As a noun, it means an edge. As a verb, it means to be full or almost overflowing.
What are the forms of brim?
The main forms are brim, brims, brimmed, and brimming.
What are synonyms of brim?
For the noun, useful synonyms include rim, edge, and lip. For the verb, overflow, teem, and abound may fit.