skim

[ skim ]

/ skɪm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR skim ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), skimmed, skim·ming.

to take up or remove (floating matter) from the surface of a liquid, as with a spoon or ladle: to skim the cream from milk.

to clear (liquid) thus: to skim milk.

to move or glide lightly over or along (a surface, as of water): The sailboat skimmed the lake.

to throw in a smooth, gliding path over or near a surface, or so as to bounce or ricochet along a surface: to skim a stone across the lake.

to read, study, consider, treat, etc., in a superficial or cursory manner.

to cover, as a liquid, with a thin film or layer: Ice skimmed the lake at night.

to take the best or most available parts or items from: Bargain hunters skimmed the flea markets early in the morning.

to take (the best or most available parts or items) from something: The real bargains had been skimmed by early shoppers.

Metallurgy. to remove (slag, scum, or dross) from the surface of molten metal.

Slang.

to conceal a portion of (winnings, earnings, etc.) in order to avoid paying income taxes, commissions, or the like on the actual total revenue (sometimes followed by off): The casino skimmed two million a year.
to take, remove, or appropriate for illegal use: to skim information from another's credit card.

verb (used without object), skimmed, skim·ming.

to pass or glide lightly over or near a surface.

to read, study, consider, etc., something in a superficial or cursory way.

to become covered with a thin film or layer.

Slang. to conceal gambling or other profits so as to avoid paying taxes, etc.; practice skimming.

noun

an act or instance of skimming.

something that is skimmed off.

a thin layer or film formed on the surface of something, especially a liquid, as the coagulated protein material formed on boiled milk.

a thin layer, as of mortar.

Slang. the amount taken or concealed by skimming.

skim milk.

Obsolete. scum.

Nearby words

Origin of skim

1375–1425; late Middle English skymen, skemen, variant of scumen to skim; see scum

SYNONYMS FOR skim

5. scan. 12. glance.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR skim ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·skimmed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skim

Fat-free or skim milkEveryone knows milk is an excellent source of calcium that will keep your bones in tip-top shape.
10 Ways to Stay Hydrated (That Aren’t Water)|DailyBurn|July 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And good for Bruno, bless his heart, who is truly the skim milk of pop music.
Your Super Bowl Etiquette Guide From Food to Clothes to What Not to Say|Kelly Williams Brown|February 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the iTunes story makes music—arguably the most mysterious, magical art form—as accessible and ubiquitous as skim milk.
From Bieber to the Beatles, How the iTunes Store Brooklynized Music|Justin Moyer|May 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Skim off most of the fat with a spoon: just dip in, get a spoonful of fat, and remove.
Your Friday Gadget Chef Recipe: Two Day Soup|Megan McArdle|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Drinks at the dinner table are restricted to “water and skim milk.”
12 Juicy Bits From Michelle Obama’s Garden Book|Alex Klein|May 31, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The crisp covering, over which I used to skim along a few weeks ago, broke through with me at every step.
Adrift in the Arctic Ice Pack|Elisha Kent Kane
Skim and strain the water when it is taken off and settled, and put it to the mulberry juice.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton
Then skim it carefully; let it cook slowly till the meat is very tender; try it with a fork.
The Fun of Cooking|Caroline French Benton
"It's as well we brought out this little steamboat just to skim the wreck and survey her," he said.
A Master of Fortune|Cutcliffe Hyne
To every gallon of water put four pounds of honey, and boil it three quarters of an hour, taking care to skim it.
The Cook and Housekeeper's Complete and Universal Dictionary; Including a System of Modern Cookery, in all Its Various Branches,|Mary Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for skim

skim

/ (skɪm) /

verb skims, skimming or skimmed

(tr) to remove floating material from the surface of (a liquid), as with a spoonto skim milk

to glide smoothly or lightly over (a surface)

(tr) to throw (something) in a path over a surface, so as to bounce or ricochetto skim stones over water

(when intr, usually foll by through) to read (a book) in a superficial or cursory manner

to cover (a liquid) with a thin layer or (of liquid) to become coated in this way, as with ice, scum, etc

noun

the act or process of skimming

material skimmed off a liquid, esp off milk

the liquid left after skimming

any thin layer covering a surface

Word Origin for skim

C15 skimmen, probably from scumen to skim; see scum

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for skim

skim

early 15c. (skimmer, the utensil, is attested from late 14c.), "to clear (a liquid) from matter floating on the surface, lift the scum from," from Old French escumer "remove scum," from escume (Modern French écume) "scum," from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German scum "scum," German Schaum; see scum). Meaning "to throw (a stone) so as to skip across the surface of (water) is from 1610s. Meaning "to move lightly and rapidly over the surface of" is from 1650s, from the motion involved in skimming liquid; that of "to glance over carelessly" (in reference to printed matter) recorded by 1799. Related: Skimmed; skimming.

skim

verb (used with object), skimmed, skim·ming.

verb (used without object), skimmed, skim·ming.

noun

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Origin of skim

Examples from the Web for skim

skim

verb skims, skimming or skimmed

noun

Word Origin for skim

skim