skim
verb (used with object)
to take up or remove (floating matter) from the surface of a liquid, as with a spoon or ladle.
skimmed
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past participleof skim.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof skim.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
skimverb (used with object)to take up or remove (floating matter) from the surface of a liquid, as with a spoon or ladle.
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.
This was not money skimmed from a contract.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Even the fanciest European supermarkets typically offered three types of milk: whole, semiskimmed and skimmed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
Where this story takes place — which metaphysical realm it’s actually set in — is skimmed over entirely.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
The holiday’s corpulent, white-bearded dandy arrived even later, his schmaltzy persona skimmed from bony St. Nicholas between Reconstruction and 1931, when Coca-Cola debuted its iconic, brandy-flushed Santa Claus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025
I skimmed through the obituary as the choir sang.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
