skim
verb (used with object)
to take up or remove (floating matter) from the surface of a liquid, as with a spoon or ladle.
had skimmed
-
past perfectof skim.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
Morning after morning, residents would retrieve the bottles of milk on their stoops only to find that a thief had skimmed off the cream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
By Friday night, officials had skimmed most of the oil, or about 85 gallons, from the ocean.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2024
But umpires ruled the ball had skimmed the net, and five pitches later García hit an RBI single.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 13, 2022
He testified that he had "skimmed way too fast" and called the lapse "one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in my life."
From Fox News ● Apr. 1, 2022
He had skimmed twenty pages before it occurred to him to see if the book had an index.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
