brim over

brim over — phrasal verb

  • brim overbase form
  • brims over3rd person singular
  • brimming over-ing form
  • brimmed overpast simple

1. if a cup, pot, or other vessel brims over, the liquid inside it rises above the

1.片語動詞不及物B2
釋義

if a cup, pot, or other vessel brims over, the liquid inside it rises above the top edge because there is too much to hold

例句

Shirin's soup pot brimmed over while she answered the phone in the hallway.

container as subject: [vessel] brims over

Hao poured too much water and the vase brimmed over onto the wooden table.

同義詞
  • overflow

    more common and can be used for both liquids and containers

  • spill over

    suggests an accident or mess, less neutral than 'brim over'

  • run over

    more casual; often used for boiling liquids on a stove

用法筆記

Subject is typically a container — a cup, pot, bathtub, or similar vessel. When the subject is a liquid, see sense 3.

2. to be bursting with an emotion or idea that you feel you must share or show

2.片語動詞不及物B2
釋義

to be bursting with an emotion or idea that you feel you must share or show

例句

Reema brimmed over with joy after hearing she had passed the difficult exam.

brim over + with + [emotion/idea]

Hugo brimmed over with ideas for the new playground and sketched for hours.

同義詞
  • be bursting with

    more informal and vivid; suggests being unable to hold the feeling in

  • radiate

    emphasises the outward display of the feeling, not the inner state

  • be filled with

    more neutral and less intense than 'brim over with'

反義詞

文法句型

brim over + with + [emotion/ideas]

用法筆記

Always followed by 'with' and a noun expressing an emotion, quality, or idea. Subject is always a person or group of people.

常見錯誤

She brimmed over happiness.
She brimmed over with happiness.
💡sense 2 always needs 'with' before the emotion or idea.

3. if water, milk, or another liquid brims over, it flows past the top edge of the

3.片語動詞不及物B2
釋義

if water, milk, or another liquid brims over, it flows past the top edge of the container that holds it

例句

Rainwater brimmed over the gutter and dripped onto the wooden porch below.

The milk brimmed over the saucepan's edge and hissed loudly on the hot stove.

liquid as subject: [liquid] brims over + [edge/rim]

同義詞
  • overflow

    more common; can take either liquid or container as subject

  • spill

    implies liquid has gone where it should not, often causing a mess

  • run over

    more casual; especially common for boiling liquids

用法筆記

Subject is always a liquid (water, milk, coffee, etc.). Distinguish from sense 1, where the subject is the container holding the liquid.