slim

American  

[slim] / slɪm /

adjective

slimmer, slimmest

1. slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.

   Synonyms:

   thin

   Antonyms:

   fat

2. poor or inferior.

   a slim chance; a slim excuse.

3. small or inconsiderable; meager; scanty.

   a slim income.

   Synonyms:

   paltry, trivial, trifling, insignificant

   Antonyms:

   abundant, considerable

4. sized for the thinner than average person.

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verb (used with object)

slimmed, slimming

1. to make slim.

verb (used without object)

slimmed, slimming

1. to become slim.

2. Chiefly British. to try to become more slender, especially by dieting.

noun

1. a garment size meant for a thin person.

verb phrase

1. slim down

   1. to lose weight, especially intentionally.

   2. (of a business) to reduce operating expenses; economize.

slim ¹ British  

/ slɪm /

adjective

1. small in width relative to height or length

2. small in amount or quality

   slim chances of success

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verb

1. to make or become slim, esp by diets and exercise

2. to reduce or decrease or cause to be reduced or decreased

Slim ² British  

/ slɪm /

noun

1. the E African name for AIDS

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Slim ³ British  

/ slɪm /

noun

1. William Joseph , 1st Viscount. 1891–1970, British field marshal, who commanded (1943–45) the 14th Army in the reconquest of Burma (now called Myanmar) from the Japanese; governor general of Australia (1953–60)

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Related Words

See slender.

Other Word Forms

• slimly adverb
• slimmer noun
• slimness noun
• unslim adjective
• unslimly adverb
• unslimmed adjective
• unslimness noun

Etymology

Origin of slim

1650–60; < Dutch slim sly, (earlier) crooked (cognate with German schlimm bad, (earlier) crooked)

Example Sentences

Hsu Shu-po, chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce, warned that the country’s reserves offer only a slim margin for error.

From Barron's

Other consumer-goods groups have also slimmed down or sharpened their focus in recent years.

From The Wall Street Journal

Meanwhile, Li Auto, the first in the group to become profitable, recorded a slim profit amid slumping sales, underscoring how cutthroat China’s auto market has become as companies compete to introduce breakthrough technology.

From The Wall Street Journal

The poll showed that slim majorities of predominantly Spanish-speaking voters, voters who were born in another country and first-generation immigrants support the voter ID measure.

From Los Angeles Times

I was sliding the secret panel down behind her when a slim white-haired man burst into the room.

From Literature