slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.
poor or inferior.
a slim chance; a slim excuse.
small or inconsiderable; meager; scanty.
a slim income.
sized for the thinner than average person.
to become slim.
Chiefly British. to try to become more slender, especially by dieting.
small in width relative to height or length
small in amount or quality
slim chances of success
to make or become slim, esp by diets and exercise
to reduce or decrease or cause to be reduced or decreased
See slender.
1650–60; < Dutch slim sly, (earlier) crooked (cognate with German schlimm bad, (earlier) crooked)
Anything slim is thin or narrow. So, your sister may be considered slim, and you could also have "a slim chance" of winning the lottery. Slim people are slender, and slim things are usually delicate, like a slim watch band. You can also use slim to describe a margin or a chance: "There was only a slim likelihood that the home team would win this game." Back in the early 1800s, to slim meant "to do one's work carelessly," and in the seventeenth century, the adjective was also used to mean "sly or crafty."
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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 most daring, the most violent, the "person in the top gear", as one 23-year-old put it, has a chance -- albeit slim -- of rising through the ranks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
But affinity with his home country meant there was little chance of that happening, even if it meant the chances of winning something at international level - or even regularly reaching tournaments - were slim.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Chances are slim this structure will change soon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Jeans remain the core of Levi’s business, and skinny, slim, bootcut and straight fits still make up the bulk of its bottoms segment.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
I was sliding the secret panel down behind her when a slim white-haired man burst into the room.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Nara and Lucky Blue Smith, 28, married in 2020 and share four children: Whimsy Lou, eldest daughter Rumble Honey, son Slim Easy, and infant Fawnie Golden.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
The maker of Slim Jim and Healthy Choice has seen its shares slide by 26% over the past 12 months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Conagra is known for grocery-aisle staples like Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Marie Callender’s.
From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026
It spanned styles, backgrounds and generations - from local lad Max Jones getting the party started on the Introducing stage to Fatboy Slim finishing it on the main one.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Slim gazed at him for a moment and then looked down at his hands; he subdued one hand with the other, and held it down.
From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
The results pile pressure on the beleaguered group, which has been suffering from slimmer margins from the sales of electric cars, US tariffs and above all intense Chinese competition.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
People familiar with the device described it as slimmer than an iPhone and running on a proprietary operating system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
The U.S. strategic crude stockpiles are dwindling at a record pace and are approaching their lowest in more than four decades — but concerns about slimmer reserves may be overblown.
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
But for “middle restaurants” — between fast-casual spots without extensive table service and high-level tasting menus — restaurateurs often make up for the slimmer margins with volume.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
Papa himself never greeted Papa-Nnukwu, never visited him, but he sent slim wads of naira through Kevin or through one of our umunna members, slimmer wads than he gave Kevin as a Christmas bonus.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Keiko Fujimori won the June 7 presidential runoff by the slimmest of margins, outpolling leftist Roberto Sanchez by fewer than 50,000 votes out of the more than 18 million ballots cast, the final results showed.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
Overall, reports Roll Call, “in a Senate newly under Republican control and a House held by the slimmest of GOP majorities, lawmakers cast more votes last year than any other since the pandemic.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
With Sri Lanka chasing down the target with ease, the Australians are left clinging to only the slimmest mathematical hope and will watch nervously as Zimbabwe face Ireland on Tuesday.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026
Come January, the GOP will hold one of the slimmest House majorities of all time.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024
My aunt wasn’t a timid woman, but even at her slimmest, I can’t see her ever entering this pageant.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Though the third installment of the fest has been cut down from 11 days to six, the amount of talent jammed into that week doesn’t appear to have slimmed down much at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
Rent eats up more than half of Imeh’s take-home pay, which was slimmed after a credit-card company started garnishing part of her wages to pay off her card debts, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
A dedicated pace coach for the senior side could be another tweak to a backroom staff previously slimmed down by McCullum.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026
Hilton slimmed down its full-year outlook, too, lowering the upper end of its expected range for revenue per available room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
She’d slimmed down and shot up and started worrying about clothes.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
As part of the new changes, McKinsey is also slimming down its board, known internally as its shareholders council.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The maker of TurboTax and QuickBooks said Wednesday that slimming down its staff would improve efficiency companywide.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
As part of a vast slimming down of its business, which has included selling some medical practices, UnitedHealth also said it completed the sale of Optum UK for $400 million.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
Beauticians already advertise rapid slimming "packages" for weddings or social events.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2026
I’ve worn black today, because I’ve heard so often that it’s supposed to be slimming.
From "Every Day" by David Levithan
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.
