rim

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈrɪm/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/rɪm/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(rim)

Inflections of 'rim' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
rims
v 3rd person singular
rimming
v pres p
rimmed
v past
rimmed
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
rim /rɪm/USA pronunciation   n., v., rimmed, rim•ming. 
n. [countable]
  1. the outer edge or border of something:a chip on the rim of the glass.
  2. the outer circle of a wheel, attached to the hub by spokes.

v. [~ + object]
  1. to furnish with a rim.
  2. Sportto roll around the edge of but not go in:His last shot rimmed the basket.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
rim  (rim),USA pronunciation n., v., rimmed, rim•ming. 
n. 
    1. the outer edge, border, margin, or brink of something, esp. of a circular object.
    2. any edge, margin, or frame added to or around a central object or area.
    3. the outer circle of a wheel, attached to the hub by spokes.
    4. a circular strip of metal forming the connection between an automobile wheel and tire, either permanently attached to or removable from the wheel.
    5. Mechanical Engineeringa drive wheel or flywheel, as on a spinning mule.
    6. Sport[Basketball.]the metal ring from which the net is suspended to form the basket.
    7. Journalismthe outer edge of a usuallyU-shaped copy desk, occupied by the copyreaders. Cf. slot (def. 5).
    8. Metallurgy(in an ingot) an outer layer of metal having a composition different from that of the center.

    v.t. 
    1. to furnish with a rim, border, or margin.
    2. Sport(of a golf ball or putt) to roll around the edge of (a hole) but not go in.
    3. Sport[Basketball.](of a basketball) to roll around (the rim of the basket) and not go in.
    4. Wineto coat or encrust the rim of (a glass):Rim each cocktail glass with salt.
    • bef. 1150; Middle English; Old English -rima (in compounds); cognate with Old Norse rimi raised strip of land, ridge
    rim′less, adj. 
      1. lip, verge. 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.
      1. center.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
rim /rɪm/ n
  1. the raised edge of an object, esp of something more or less circular such as a cup or crater
  2. the peripheral part of a wheel, to which the tyre is attached
  3. the hoop from which the net is suspended
 vb (rims, rimming, rimmed) (transitive)
  1. to put a rim on (a pot, cup, wheel, etc)
  2. slang to lick, kiss, or suck the anus of (one's sexual partner)
Etymology: Old English rima; related to Old Saxon rimi, Old Norse rimi ridge
'rim' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bezel - border - brim - canton - chime - cog - cushion - decant - eyebath - felloe - Ferris wheel - flange - lip - margin - noria - Pacific rim - piston ring - pulley - punchbowl - rand - rhyme - riempie - rim-fire - screw top - sheave - sidewall - skid - soup plate - sou'wester - spoke - sprocket - strake - targe - tubeless tyre - tyre - velum - verge - waterwheel - webwheel - wheel - wire wheel - air ball - ambo - antennifer - backlighting - barrel - basket - bead - billiards - billiard table
Collocations: the rim of the [glass, cup, mug], a [chip, crack, lipstick mark] on the rim, [got, left] lipstick on the rim, more...

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