bursting at the seams
Crammed beyond capacity
Bursting at the seams describes something so full it's straining its container—a suitcase stuffed beyond capacity, a room packed with people, a schedule crammed with appointments.
The image is of fabric threatening to split from pressure.
By extension, someone bursting at the seams with excitement or news can barely contain themselves: She was bursting at the seams to tell us.
- chock-fullFull to overflowing
- packedFilled to capacity
- crammedOverfilled or overstuffed
- overflowingExceeding capacity, spilling out
- teemingAbundantly full of
filled to capacity · overloaded · bulging · split · brimming · saturated · stuffed · swell · tight · overjoyed · maxed out · elated · crowded · jubilant · euphoric · ecstatic · buttons · pregnant
bursting at the seamsempty
Holding nothing inside
half-empty · vacant · hollow · bare · depleted
bursting at the seamsloose
Not firmly secured
slack · relaxed · plenty of room · room to spare · comfortable
burst, bursting, bursts, seams, seamed, seaming, seamer, unseamed