rime

1 of 3

noun

ˈrīm 

1

: frost sense 1b

2

: an accumulation of granular ice tufts on the windward sides of exposed objects that is formed from supercooled fog or cloud and built out directly against the wind

3

: crust, incrustation

rime

2 of 3

verb

rimed; riming

transitive verb

: to cover with or as if with rime

rime, rimester

3 of 3

less common spellings of rhyme, rhymester

1

a(1)

: rhyming verse

(2)

: poetry

b

: a composition in verse that rhymes

2

a

: correspondence in terminal sounds of units of composition or utterance (such as two or more words or lines of verse)

b

: one of two or more words thus corresponding in sound

c

: correspondence of other than terminal word sounds: such as

(1)

: alliteration

(2)

: internal rhyme

3

: rhythm, measure

Synonyms

Noun

• frost
• hoar
• hoarfrost

Verb

• cake
• crust
• encrust
• incrust

Examples of rime in a Sentence

Noun

a heavy coating of rime

rime on the bedroom window after a bitterly cold night

Verb

frost riming the doorknob

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In temperatures below freezing, fog can actually deposit ice onto objects at or near the ground, called rime ice. —Ross Lazear, The Conversation, 3 Mar. 2025

Waddington is notorious for its fickle weather—the peak is regularly hit by storms off the Pacific Ocean that freeze the summit in rime ice. —Corbin Reiff, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024

The weather briefing included information about moderate icing between Carrizo Springs and Bridgeport and light rime ice between 4,000 and 6,000 feet in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the report. —Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Jan. 2024

The heavy stream of precipitation at such high elevations means that water droplets soon freeze into thick ice called rime ice, which has to be knocked off manually and can take many hours to clear. —Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Mar. 2023

Soon the steam from my breath had pushed up to my eyelashes and forehead, creating bright white rime in my hair, eyelashes, and cheeks. —Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Dec. 2022

At the heart of Owens Lake, there is still water — it’s just super salty and capped by a mineral rime. —Leia Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Oct. 2022

Chunks of ice, rime, and andesite peel off cliff bands and pelt climbers, especially in warm conditions. —Outside Online, 29 May 2022

Experience soon established the prevalence of propeller-icing hazards and the extraordinary tenacity of rime-ice formations. —Aubrey O. Cookman, Popular Mechanics, 9 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English rim, from Old English hrīm; akin to Old Norse hrīm frost

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1755, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

rime

1 of 3 noun

ˈrīm 

1

: frost entry 1 sense 2

2

: crust sense 3a, incrustation

rime

2 of 3 verb

rimed; riming

: to cover with or as if with rime

rime

3 of 3

variant of rhyme