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• slim
  slim

  adjective

  slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.
• Slim
  Slim

  noun

  the E African name for AIDS

slim

American  

[slim] / slɪm /

adjective

• slimmer,
  comparative
• slimmest
  superlative

1. slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.

   Synonyms:

   thin

   Antonyms:

   fat

2. poor or inferior.

   a slim chance; a slim excuse.

3. small or inconsiderable; meager; scanty.

   a slim income.

   Synonyms:

   paltry, trivial, trifling, insignificant

   Antonyms:

   abundant, considerable

4. sized for the thinner than average person.

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verb (used with object)

slimmed, slimming

1. to make slim.

verb (used without object)

slimmed, slimming

1. to become slim.

2. Chiefly British. to try to become more slender, especially by dieting.

noun

1. a garment size meant for a thin person.

verb phrase

1. slim down

   1. to lose weight, especially intentionally.

   2. (of a business) to reduce operating expenses; economize.

slim ¹ British  

/ slɪm /

adjective

1. small in width relative to height or length

2. small in amount or quality

   slim chances of success

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verb

1. to make or become slim, esp by diets and exercise

2. to reduce or decrease or cause to be reduced or decreased

Slim ² British  

/ slɪm /

noun

1. the E African name for AIDS

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Slim ³ British  

/ slɪm /

noun

1. William Joseph , 1st Viscount. 1891–1970, British field marshal, who commanded (1943–45) the 14th Army in the reconquest of Burma (now called Myanmar) from the Japanese; governor general of Australia (1953–60)

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Synonym Usage

See slender.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• slimmer
  noun
• slimness
  noun
• unslimness
  noun
• unslim
  adjective
• unslimmed
  adjective
• slimly
  adverb
• unslimly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• slimmer
  comparative
• slimmest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of slim

1650–60; < Dutch slim sly, (earlier) crooked (cognate with German schlimm bad, (earlier) crooked)

Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slim Slim slimmer slimmest slimmed slimming

Their slim bodies and long front legs may have helped them travel efficiently through the open landscapes of Pleistocene North America.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

Perhaps I would read slim English novels in the park.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Volkswagen also plans to slim down leadership teams and reduce its workforce by 50,000 positions, including management roles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

“There is still a slim chance the storm could move farther north,” which could put it on a path toward Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Bulky, with a strap to hang around your neck and a slim slot along its front, it was the kind of device that seemed ancient.

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles

How does it make sense to discourage air conditioning in order to favor the energy Europeans use to drive to the Kwik-E-Mart for a Slim Jim?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

"I'm Mr Slim now. I'm delighted to be here and there are fans here from all over the world," Fury said.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

Conagra is known for grocery-aisle staples like Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Marie Callender’s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

Slim barked, looking around to make sure everyone heard him.

From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds

Just inside the door, there was a flimsy mannequin with the face of a much younger, slimmer Trump, wearing a red “Trump 2028” hat, a dark suit, and a signature red tie.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Soon, the fun fan shot was replaced by one of those grim before-and-after shots: An obese Goodman in his 30s and the slimmer Goodman in his 70s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Responding to the watchdog, Jaded London argued it was "not clear" the model was holding a cigarette because it was slimmer than normal and "did not appear to be lit".

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Europe's largest carmaker has come under intense pressure from US tariffs, slimmer profit margins from electric cars and above all intense competition in China, the world's largest auto market.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

The odds of the Mona Lisa getting painted—the already long odds—grow slimmer still.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

PNC Bank data also show that lower-income household spending, excluding gasoline, has accelerated this year, narrowing the gap with higher-income spending growth to the slimmest margin since 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

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

But when it came to science, Narlikar believed in exploring the slimmest of possibilities.

From BBC ● May 23, 2025

The next day, Kennedy would take the lead over Nixon and then go on to win the election by one of the slimmest margins in history.

From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2025

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

First introduced in 1988, the Omega Speedmaster Reduced took the Speedmaster Professional — which comes in a sizable 42mm case sizing — and slimmed it down to a chill 39mm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 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

Former world number one Novak Djokovic, who has slimmed down his schedule in recent years to protect his body, has called on players to be more united, external in forcing change.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025

She’d slimmed down and shot up and started worrying about clothes.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Retailers are slimming down product lines as they grapple with higher costs to import, move and store goods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

It is like “everyone was just given the ability to take a GLP-1,” says Reno, comparing the AI’s slimming effects on companies to weight-loss drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

As he boosts RIG, Navratil has set about slimming down Nestlé.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 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

The column of light in front of us is closing, slimming into a pinpoint.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer