trimmer

¹

[trim-er]

noun

1. a person or thing that trims.

2. a tool or machine for trimming, clipping, paring, or pruning.

3. a machine for trimming lumber.

4. Building Trades.

   1. a joist or rafter supporting one of the ends of a header at the edge of a wellhole.

   2. a wall tile or floor tile for finishing an edge or angle.

5. an apparatus for stowing, arranging, or shifting cargo, coal, or the like.

6. a person who has no firm position, opinion, or policy, especially in politics.

7. a person who is committed to no particular political party, adapting to one side or another as expediency may dictate.

trimmer

²

[trim-er]

adjective

1. comparative of trim.

trimmer

/ ˈtrɪmə /

noun

1. Also called: trimmer joist. a beam in a floor or roof structure attached to truncated joists in order to leave an opening for a staircase, chimney, etc

2. a machine for trimming timber

3. Also called: trimming capacitor. electronics a variable capacitor of small capacitance used for making fine adjustments, etc

4. a person who alters his or her opinions on the grounds of expediency

5. a person who fits out motor vehicles

Word History and Origins

Origin of trimmer¹

First recorded in 1510–20; trim + -er ¹

Example Sentences

He encouraged residents to make their homes as fire-resistant as possible, getting out the weed trimmers, clearing roofs of leaves and digging under decks for dead vegetation.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

When she refuses, Spears grabs the trimmer and clicks it on: “The extensions are hacked into lifeless scraps … the stray hairs curl on the floor like writhing snakes.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A beard trimmer leaps into jugulars, a VCR shoots tapes like a cannon, and the carnage of consumer goods is nasty, gory and cruel, with a darkly comic mean streak that recalls Joe Dante’s “Gremlins.”

Read more on New York Times

Men with enormous beards that have never known the touch of a trimmer.

Read more on Salon

Then use a hand pruner for small jobs or a string trimmer or hedge clipper for larger plantings.

Read more on Seattle Times

Related Words

• mower