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Glite Dictionary
to brim over

to brim over

3.6
To flow over the edge when a container or feeling is too full
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : desbordar
  • Her eyes brim over with tears and love.
  • eyes brim over

Examples

  • You know your heart is brimming over with love.

    Blog text (21)

  • Bet they're brimming over.

    Spawn (1997)

  • Her emotions brim over, she couldn't help but cry tears of joy.

  • He felt his excitement brim over as he opened the acceptance letter from the university.

  • The pot was so full of soup that it began to brim over as it heated on the stove.

Synonyms

to overflow
vsto brim over
43 2.9

To flow over the edge when a container or space is too full

is the same idea but stresses a container or person being full first
to well over
vsto brim over
22 4.4

To rise and flow out like tears or strong feelings

highlights physical spilling caused by being full rather than forceful expression
to spill over
vsto brim over
16 4.2

To move beyond the edge of a container or place

focuses on literal spilling from fullness rather than broad extensions
to run over
vsto brim over
5 3.2

A liquid flows over the top of its container

adds that the overflow usually follows from a container or person being full
to overrun
vsto brim over
4 5.3

Go past a limit or planned time

is narrower, focusing specifically on spilling because something is full
to boil over
vsto brim over
4 2.4

Hot liquid gets too high and spills out of its container

covers overflow from fullness in general, not only boiling situations
to overspill
vsto brim over
  • UK
1 4.9

To flow over the edge of a container or limit

emphasizes the cause as fullness rather than just excess quantity
to overbrim
vsto brim over
7.8

To be or make something so full that it spills over the edge

is the usual phrasal sense describing overflow from fullness rather than a verb form
to overboil
vsto brim over
5.4

To make a boiling liquid rise and spill over a pot

is broader, applying when fullness causes spilling without necessarily boiling

Antonyms

to recede
29 4.8

To move back or become less strong

How Full

to gush
26 3.2
to brim over
3.6
to spill
347 1.0
to leak
212 1.0
to seep
82 2.7

Surface Forms

brim over infinitive
brimmed over past
brimmed over past participle
brimming over present participle
brims over third person singular

Morphology

brim + over

The meaning 'to overflow or spill over the edge' is directly derivable from combining 'brim' (to be full to the top) with 'over' (indicating motion beyond a boundary); together they straightforwardly signal spilling past the rim. This compositional pattern is common in English and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily understand it.

Etymology

Brim over comes from the image of a cup so full that liquid runs over the brim, the edge of the cup. This picture shows why the phrase means 'to overflow' and why strong feelings can 'spill over' from a person who is too full of emotion.