to put into a neat or orderly condition by clipping, paring, pruning, etc..
to trim a hedge.
to remove (something superfluous or dispensable) by or as if by cutting (often followed byoff ).
to trim off loose threads from a ragged edge.
to cut down, as to required size or shape.
trim a budget; trim a piece of wood.
Aeronautics. to level off (an airship or airplane) in flight.
Nautical.
to distribute the load of (a ship) so that it sits well in the water.
to stow or arrange, as cargo.
to adjust (the sails or yards) with reference to the direction of the wind and the course of the ship.
to decorate or adorn with ornaments or embellishments.
to trim a dress with fur.
to arrange goods in (a store window, showcase, etc.) as a display.
to prepare or adjust (a lamp, fire, etc.) for proper burning.
Informal.
to rebuke or reprove.
to beat or thrash.
to defeat.
to dress or array (often followed byup ).
Nautical.
to assume a particular position or trim in the water, as a vessel.
to adjust the sails or yards with reference to the direction of the wind and the course of the ship.
to pursue a neutral or cautious policy between parties.
to accommodate one's views to the prevailing opinion for reasons of expediency.
the condition, order, or fitness of a person or thing for action, work, use, etc.
Nautical.
the set of a ship in the water, especially the most advantageous one.
the condition of a ship with reference to its fitness for sailing.
the adjustment of sails, rigging, etc., with reference to wind direction and the course of the ship.
the condition of a submarine as regards buoyancy.
a person's dress, adornment, or appearance.
material used for decoration or embellishment; decorative trimming.
decoration of a store window for the display of merchandise; window dressing.
a trimming by cutting, clipping, or the like.
a haircut that restores the previous cut to neatness without changing the hairstyle.
something that is cut off or eliminated.
Aeronautics. the attitude of an airplane with respect to all three axes, at which balance occurs in forward flight under no controls.
Building Trades. finished woodwork or the like used to decorate or border openings or wall surfaces, as cornices, baseboards, or moldings.
Automotive.
the upholstery, knobs, handles, and other equipment inside a motor car.
ornamentation on the exterior of an automobile, especially in metal or a contrasting color.
neat and spruce in appearance
slim; slender
in good condition
to put in good order, esp by cutting or pruning
to shape and finish (timber)
to adorn or decorate
to cut so as to remove
to trim off a branch
to cut down to the desired size or shape
to trim material to a pattern
dialect to decorate
to trim a Christmas tree
nautical
(also intr) to adjust the balance of (a vessel) or (of a vessel) to maintain an even balance, by distribution of ballast, cargo, etc
(also intr) to adjust (a vessel's sails) to take advantage of the wind
to stow (cargo)
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
(also intr) to modify (one's opinions, etc) to suit opposing factions or for expediency
informal to thrash or beat
informal to rebuke
obsolete to furnish or equip
a decoration or adornment
the upholstery and decorative facings, as on the door panels, of a car's interior
proper order or fitness; good shape
in trim
a haircut that neatens but does not alter the existing hairstyle
nautical
the general set and appearance of a vessel
the difference between the draught of a vessel at the bow and at the stern
the fitness of a vessel
the position of a vessel's sails relative to the wind
the relative buoyancy of a submarine
dress or equipment
window-dressing
the attitude of an aircraft in flight when the pilot allows the main control surfaces to take up their own positions
films a section of shot cut out during editing
material that is trimmed off
decorative mouldings, such as architraves, picture rails, etc
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Lauensteins have thematically used the teal color on other ceilings, along with a similar hue on the exterior trim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Other positives for hyperscalers: strong core businesses, leadership possibilities for agentic AI and the ability of these companies to trim costs and lift profits.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
They trim their target price by 5.8% to 40.20 Australian dollars on earnings revisions and currency updates, but anticipate upside to EPS forecasts from a potential increase to the buyback.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Typically and historically, high battery costs have tended to displace customer-facing value—nice things we cannot have, like a top-shelf audio system, premium upholstery and trim, up-to-date comms and connectivity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
A few months after being put on the market, the building was sold and painted hot pink with tangerine trim.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
At the top of Trim Mountain we find the Prestige package.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
Trim positions if you have to, but hold on to the shares of this AI winner.
From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025
Trim lower tree branches and keep woodpiles away from vegetation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2025
People "really, really want to bring their own containers … but they're getting mixed messages," said Heather Trim, executive director of the nonprofit Zero Waste Washington.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2023
If I durst presume, continued Trim, to give your Honour my advice, and speak my opinion in this matter.—Thou art welcome, Trim, quoth my uncle Toby—speak,——speak what thou thinkest upon the subject, man, without fear.
From The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Sterne, Laurence
Sales of traditionally powered vehicles rose 1% as Ford’s pickups continued to shine in the U.S. — the company said that some of its off-road-vehicle trims accounted for nearly a quarter of its U.S. sales.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
UBS trims its target price by 3% to 32.80 Australian dollars and keeps a buy rating on the stock, which is up 2.8% at A$24.58.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
A staff member trims the wicks on a pair of carrot birthday candles, $22.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Social media has been "massive" for the barbering industry, says dad-of-three Alsanawi, whose Instagram is filled with videos of him giving players including England vice-captain Declan Rice fresh trims.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Mrs. Morehouse trims my word to fit his book, and Jason lets out a loud “Ahhh!”
From "Rules" by Cynthia Lord
During her stint as a tree trimmer, she guessed about 70% of the properties she worked on sat empty because they were either second homes or unoccupied Airbnbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024
Men with enormous beards that have never known the touch of a trimmer.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2024
“We’ve never raced here before, it’s light airs and Kyle Langford, our wing trimmer, had to withdraw from the event. This is the one I see as a tough one for us.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
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
Then she turned the electric hedge trimmer off and said, “I’m afraid you’re going to have to say that again. I’m a little deaf.”
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
It was hell last week on one of the biggest, whitest and trimmest of U.S. inland excursion steamers, the Island Queen.
From Time Magazine Archive
It was a deep ditch, with sides of sloping sward, cropped neatly, and kept in trimmest order, but, from its depth and width, forming a fence of a formidable kind.
From Maurice Tiernay Soldier of Fortune by Lever, Charles James
Actress Aubrey Plaza has trimmed the price of her Spanish-style California compound by nearly a half-million dollars—less than two months after she relisted the property at a drastically reduced ask.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
When this coarse fern is trimmed it is "litter", the dead leaves on the floor that create a warmer ecosystem underneath which is essential for the growth of the High Brown caterpillar.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
At least several colleges have already trimmed costs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Although it is not trimmed with spring green, as with the first dress Mary ever commissioned for herself, Bruccoleri confirmed that she had styled herself that day.
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
The thatching was evenly trimmed, the walls freshly plastered, the ground smooth without the print of a foot.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Naver’s shares rose 8.2% in Monday morning trading, trimming their year-to-date losses to 7.4%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
It is clear that the squad needs trimming after last season's 10th-place finish, particularly given Chelsea can play a maximum of 51 matches if they reach both domestic cup finals.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
At 14 songs and 62 minutes, the album would have benefited from trimming three or four of the more generic tunes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
That means investors should be in “continuous risk-management” mode right now, trimming away at winners in stocks and rebalancing portfolios back to their longer-term stock and bond targets, Pride said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Sometimes, I would look out the window into the yard and watch Hassan and his mother kneeling together, picking tomatoes or trimming a rosebush, talking.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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.
