scrim
Americannoun
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a cotton or linen fabric of open weave used for bunting, curtains, etc.
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Theater. a piece of such fabric used as a drop, border, or the like, for creating the illusion of a solid wall or backdrop under certain lighting conditions or creating a semitransparent curtain when lit from behind.
noun
Etymology
Origin of scrim
First recorded in 1785–95; origin uncertain
Explanation
In the theater, scrim is gauzy, woven fabric that reflects light in interesting ways. A scene that takes place behind a scrim is mysterious and dramatic. Scrim is also a type of inexpensive, coarse material that's used in upholstery, sail making, and other industries. Theatrical scrim is much lighter, usually translucent, and is used for dramatic effect. Some types can also be used as screens for projected images, or even for clothing. The earliest known use of the word scrim, in 1791, was in the context of upholstery lining.
Vocabulary lists containing scrim
Liar, Liar
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The Many Meanings of Meilan
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The Diviners
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A scrim will cover the huge window itself so that no one outside can peer in to see who’s bidding.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025
But who doesn’t perk up a bit when the scrim of perfection that shields the private lives of high-profile, perfectly turned-out couples is torn, even for one brief moment?
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2025
Through the veiled scrim, some sort of machinery can be glimpsed inside.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024
Then Lee Greenwood live-performed Trump’s longtime walk-on music, “God Bless the U.S.A.,” while a scrim slowly rose to reveal an shadowed Trump on the stage, with his name written behind him.
From Slate • Aug. 23, 2024
Beneath a translucent scrim of clouds at eight o’clock in the morning on November 1, 1938, Maryland Racing Commission chairman Jervis Spencer stepped out onto the smoky brown oval of Pimlico.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
