scrim
Americannoun
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a cotton or linen fabric of open weave used for bunting, curtains, etc.
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Theater. a piece of such fabric used as a drop, border, or the like, for creating the illusion of a solid wall or backdrop under certain lighting conditions or creating a semitransparent curtain when lit from behind.
noun
Etymology
Origin of scrim
First recorded in 1785–95; origin uncertain
Explanation
In the theater, scrim is gauzy, woven fabric that reflects light in interesting ways. A scene that takes place behind a scrim is mysterious and dramatic. Scrim is also a type of inexpensive, coarse material that's used in upholstery, sail making, and other industries. Theatrical scrim is much lighter, usually translucent, and is used for dramatic effect. Some types can also be used as screens for projected images, or even for clothing. The earliest known use of the word scrim, in 1791, was in the context of upholstery lining.
Vocabulary lists containing scrim
Liar, Liar
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The Many Meanings of Meilan
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The Diviners
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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.
A scrim will cover the huge window itself so that no one outside can peer in to see who’s bidding.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025
In this enormous projection piece, Eliasson unfurls a phantasmagoria of shifting shapes and amorphous space across a vast fabric scrim stretched between the walls of a large, darkened museum gallery.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2024
Through the veiled scrim, some sort of machinery can be glimpsed inside.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024
Then Lee Greenwood live-performed Trump’s longtime walk-on music, “God Bless the U.S.A.,” while a scrim slowly rose to reveal an shadowed Trump on the stage, with his name written behind him.
From Slate • Aug. 23, 2024
Lawrence, viewing the meeting through the scrim of his boundless optimism, overlooked these off-key notes, detecting only a resounding validation of his vision.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
