- present participle of skim.
skimming
Americannoun
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Usually skimmings. floating matter that is removed from the surface of a liquid.
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Metallurgy. skimmings, dross.
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Slang. the practice of concealing gambling or other profits so as to avoid paying taxes, commissions, etc..
An audit of their cleaning business uncovered several years of skimming.
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the practice of electronically appropriating account numbers or other confidential data for illegal use.
A chip is embedded in the credit card to prevent skimming.
Etymology
Origin of skimming
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English skemmyng; see skim, -ing 1
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.
Michael Jackson showed off his signature move, the moonwalk, on television in 1983, skimming backwards across the stage to his No. 1 hit “Billie Jean.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
Readers less enrapt about the details of these might find themselves skimming sections about them, or those about operating-system updates and later iMac models.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 6, 2026
Cleanup teams are skimming and pumping oil from the tributary and deploying absorbent booms and pads to recover oil trapped along the creek bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
When reading this advert, you would be forgiven for skimming over the words "first steps", as a turn of phrase.
From BBC ● Nov. 10, 2025
She rowed faster and faster, until the boat was skimming across the water.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
