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• trim
  trim

  verb (used with object)

  to put into a neat or orderly condition by clipping, paring, pruning, etc..
• Trim
  Trim

  noun

  the county town of Meath, Republic of Ireland; 12th-century castle, medieval cathedral; textiles and machinery. Pop: 5894 (2002)

trim

American  

[trim] / trɪm /

verb (used with object)

• trims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• trimmed,
  past participle,  past
• trimming
  present participle

1. to put into a neat or orderly condition by clipping, paring, pruning, etc..

   to trim a hedge.

   Synonyms:

   lop, cut, shave, shear

2. to remove (something superfluous or dispensable) by or as if by cutting (often followed byoff ).

   to trim off loose threads from a ragged edge.

3. to cut down, as to required size or shape.

   trim a budget; trim a piece of wood.

4. Aeronautics. to level off (an airship or airplane) in flight.

5. Nautical.

   1. to distribute the load of (a ship) so that it sits well in the water.

   2. to stow or arrange, as cargo.

   3. to adjust (the sails or yards) with reference to the direction of the wind and the course of the ship.

6. to decorate or adorn with ornaments or embellishments.

   to trim a dress with fur.

   Synonyms:

   garnish, embellish, ornament, bedeck, deck

7. to arrange goods in (a store window, showcase, etc.) as a display.

8. to prepare or adjust (a lamp, fire, etc.) for proper burning.

9. Informal.

   1. to rebuke or reprove.

   2. to beat or thrash.

   3. to defeat.

10. to dress or array (often followed byup ).

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verb (used without object)

• trims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• trimmed,
  past participle,  past
• trimming
  present participle

1. Nautical.

   1. to assume a particular position or trim in the water, as a vessel.

   2. to adjust the sails or yards with reference to the direction of the wind and the course of the ship.

2. to pursue a neutral or cautious policy between parties.

3. to accommodate one's views to the prevailing opinion for reasons of expediency.

noun

• trims
  plural

1. the condition, order, or fitness of a person or thing for action, work, use, etc.

2. Nautical.

   1. the set of a ship in the water, especially the most advantageous one.

   2. the condition of a ship with reference to its fitness for sailing.

   3. the adjustment of sails, rigging, etc., with reference to wind direction and the course of the ship.

   4. the condition of a submarine as regards buoyancy.

3. a person's dress, adornment, or appearance.

4. material used for decoration or embellishment; decorative trimming.

   Synonyms:

   garnish, adornment

5. decoration of a store window for the display of merchandise; window dressing.

6. a trimming by cutting, clipping, or the like.

7. a haircut that restores the previous cut to neatness without changing the hairstyle.

8. something that is cut off or eliminated.

9. Aeronautics. the attitude of an airplane with respect to all three axes, at which balance occurs in forward flight under no controls.

10. Building Trades. finished woodwork or the like used to decorate or border openings or wall surfaces, as cornices, baseboards, or moldings.

11. Automotive.

    1. the upholstery, knobs, handles, and other equipment inside a motor car.

    2. ornamentation on the exterior of an automobile, especially in metal or a contrasting color.

adjective

• trimmer,
  comparative
• trimmest
  superlative

1. pleasingly neat or smart in appearance.

   trim lawns.

   Synonyms:

   spruce, trig, compact

2. in good condition or order.

3. (of a person) in excellent physical condition.

   Swimming is a good way to keep trim.

4. slim; lean.

5. Obsolete. good, excellent, or fine.

adverb

1. trimly.

idioms

1. trim one's sails. sail.

trim ¹ British  

/ trɪm /

adjective

1. neat and spruce in appearance

2. slim; slender

3. in good condition

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verb

1. to put in good order, esp by cutting or pruning

2. to shape and finish (timber)

3. to adorn or decorate

4. to cut so as to remove

   to trim off a branch

5. to cut down to the desired size or shape

   to trim material to a pattern

6. dialect to decorate

   to trim a Christmas tree

7. nautical

   1. (also intr) to adjust the balance of (a vessel) or (of a vessel) to maintain an even balance, by distribution of ballast, cargo, etc

   2. (also intr) to adjust (a vessel's sails) to take advantage of the wind

   3. to stow (cargo)

8. to balance (an aircraft) before flight by adjusting the position of the load or in flight by the use of trim tabs, fuel transfer, etc

9. (also intr) to modify (one's opinions, etc) to suit opposing factions or for expediency

10. informal to thrash or beat

11. informal to rebuke

12. obsolete to furnish or equip

noun

1. a decoration or adornment

2. the upholstery and decorative facings, as on the door panels, of a car's interior

3. proper order or fitness; good shape

   in trim

4. a haircut that neatens but does not alter the existing hairstyle

5. nautical

   1. the general set and appearance of a vessel

   2. the difference between the draught of a vessel at the bow and at the stern

   3. the fitness of a vessel

   4. the position of a vessel's sails relative to the wind

   5. the relative buoyancy of a submarine

6. dress or equipment

7. window-dressing

8. the attitude of an aircraft in flight when the pilot allows the main control surfaces to take up their own positions

9. films a section of shot cut out during editing

10. material that is trimmed off

11. decorative mouldings, such as architraves, picture rails, etc

Trim ² British  

/ trɪm /

noun

1. the county town of Meath, Republic of Ireland; 12th-century castle, medieval cathedral; textiles and machinery. Pop: 5894 (2002)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• trimness
  noun
• overtrim
  verb
• pretrim
  verb
• trimly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• trims
  plural

Adjectives

• trimmer
  comparative
• trimmest
  superlative

Participles

• trimming
  present
• trimmed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• trim
  simple
• trims
  simple
• have trimmed
  perfect
• has trimmed
  perfect
• am trimming
  progressive
• are trimming
  progressive
• is trimming
  progressive
• have been trimming
  perfect progressive
• has been trimming
  perfect progressive

Past

• trimmed
  simple
• had trimmed
  perfect
• was trimming
  progressive
• were trimming
  progressive
• had been trimming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will trim
  simple
• will have trimmed
  perfect
• will be trimming
  progressive
• will have been trimming
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of trim

First recorded before 900; probably continuing Old English trymman, trymian “to strengthen, prepare” (not recorded in ME), derivative of trum “strong, active”; akin to Irish dron “strong,” Greek drȳmós “coppice,” Latin dūrus “hard”; see tree

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Explanation

When you cut something, literally or figuratively, you trim it. If you have steady hands, you can trim your own bangs. If you don't have steady hands, you can save up for a professional haircut by trimming the amount of money you spend on comics and snacks. A landscaper trims the grass and shrubs, and a cook trims fat off of meat before cooking it. But when you trim the Christmas tree, you decorate it, and when a sailor trims the sails, she adjusts them so they'll catch the wind just right. And as a noun, a trim is "an act of cutting," while trim is "decoration." All forms of this word are rooted in nautical language.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trim Trim trims trimmer trimmest trimmed trimming

A 1920s usher’s uniform in sky blue with black trim, likely from the Plaza Theatre in London, stands at the entrance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Investors with more of a short-term mindset therefore may be tempted to trim positions in the fund.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Treasury yields eased meanwhile after weaker-than-expected U.S. nonfarm payrolls data caused markets to trim expectations for another U.S. interest-rate increase in October.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Spence said he spent a lot of time working with the arranger to choose the music, curate and trim the showcase.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Those seats need redoing, and that trim, and there’s a couple of leaks, and it needs a fair amount of sanding and varnishing.”

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

The accused, who was arrested on Wednesday, was brought before a special sitting of Trim District Court in County Meath on Friday evening.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Trim the whole movie by 80 minutes, and viewers wouldn’t miss any integral story elements or baddie-whooping fights.

From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026

In 2019 DTE launched what it dubbed the “Tree Trim Surge,” and over the next five years it spent over $1 billion on the effort.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

Trim positions if you have to, but hold on to the shares of this AI winner.

From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025

The last time the writer was in Trim he was shown the house in which the Duke was said to have been born.

From Beauties and Antiquities of Ireland by T. O. Russell

That was slightly below the midpoint of an earlier company forecast, as it trims its expectations for ad sales due to a “slightly slower-than-expected rollout of some ad-product capabilities.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026

Bernstein trims its target price on AstraZeneca to 198 pounds from 200 pounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Bernstein cuts its recommendation on Eurofins stock to market perform from outperform, and trims its target price to 73.90 euros from 77.20 euros.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The Semi comes in two trims, Standard Range and Long Range, with the latter capable of driving 500 miles before needing to recharge.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

“Glamry or no glamry,” she said, approaching with a cloth, “nobody trims my glassware without paying.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

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.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2025

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

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2024

Like Tom, Adam, who has also dealt with depression and anxiety, has his own experience of unwillingly shaving his beard after a trimmer malfunction left him with no other option.

From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2023

“Due to the large amount of overtime, a journeyman line clearance tree trimmer can make $70,000 to $120,000 per year, give or take,” Shaw said.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

Then I noticed that the old lady who lives at number 39, which is on the other side of Mrs. Shears’s house, was in her front garden cutting her hedge with an electric hedge trimmer.

From "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon

This design gives the A8F a stunning presentation of just a giant display with the trimmest of bezels surrounding it.

From The Verge ● Nov. 2, 2018

The company has an annual voluntary 12-week challenge in the fall to encourage employees to be active and not pack on the holiday pounds, with prizes for those who stay trimmest.

From Forbes ● Feb. 25, 2011

Young, rich Stephen Carlton Clark had married Susan Hun, descendant of brownest, trimmest Albany ancestors.

From Time Magazine Archive

He found the ideal right-hand man in Stanton, who has streamlined CBS into the trimmest organization in broadcasting.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tribunal was in the open air, under the mid plane-tree in Camberwell Green, the trimmest public garden in London.

From Romantic Spain A Record of Personal Experiences (Vol. I) by John Augustus O'Shea

"What am I supposed to make of this? We're going to war," Irinkov told AFP as he trimmed the plants in his garden on a windy day.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Now white haired with a neatly trimmed beard and sunken cheeks, Bakker’s once upbeat delivery and playful repartee with guests had been replaced by a grim figure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

Crude oil trimmed losses late in the session as investors sought safety ahead of the weekend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

The analysts trimmed their price target on Netflix to $95 from $100, to account for lower earnings estimates in the wake of Netflix’s mixed second-quarter results in July.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

The mirror was mesmeric, with its triple panels trimmed with false oak.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Daiwa upgrades the stock to buy from hold while trimming its target price to 120,000 won from 130,000 won.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

That means trimming exposure to the companies most dependent on cheap capital: small-capitalization companies that are highly leveraged, unprofitable growth stocks and speculative businesses that constantly need to refinance.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

As refiners focused on jet-fuel runs in the spring, airlines announced capacity cuts, trimming their schedules to preserve fuel for their more profitable and popular routes.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026

Companies including Under Armour and Helen of Troy are trimming product lineups to focus on bestsellers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Everything was good, well made, and little worn, but Amy’s artistic eyes were much afflicted, especially this winter, when her school dress was a dull purple with yellow dots and no trimming.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

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Related Words

• clip
• curtail
• cut
• cut back
• cut down
• mow
• pare
• prune
• shave
• shear
• shorten
• whittle down

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