skim

American  

[skim] / skɪm /

verb (used with object)

• skims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• skimmed,
  past participle,  past
• skimming
  present participle

1. 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.

2. to clear (liquid) thus.

   to skim milk.

3. to move or glide lightly over or along (a surface, as of water).

   The sailboat skimmed the lake.

4. 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.

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

   Synonyms:

   scan

6. to cover, as a liquid, with a thin film or layer.

   Ice skimmed the lake at night.

7. to take the best or most available parts or items from.

   Bargain hunters skimmed the flea markets early in the morning.

8. to take (the best or most available parts or items) from something.

   The real bargains had been skimmed by early shoppers.

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

10. 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 byoff ).

    The casino skimmed two million a year.

11. to appropriate (credit or debit card information) electronically for illegal use.

    A hidden device can skim your account number while you’re pumping gas, paying for groceries, etc.

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verb (used without object)

• skims,
  present (3rd person singular)
• skimmed,
  past participle,  past
• skimming
  present participle

1. to pass or glide lightly over or near a surface.

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

   Synonyms:

   glance

3. to become covered with a thin film or layer.

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

noun

1. an act or instance of skimming.

2. something that is skimmed off.

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

4. a thin layer, as of mortar.

5. Slang. the amount taken or concealed by skimming.

6. skim milk.

7. Obsolete. scum.

skim British  

/ skɪm /

verb

1. (tr) to remove floating material from the surface of (a liquid), as with a spoon

   to skim milk

2. to glide smoothly or lightly over (a surface)

3. (tr) to throw (something) in a path over a surface, so as to bounce or ricochet

   to skim stones over water

4. to read (a book) in a superficial or cursory manner

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

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noun

1. the act or process of skimming

2. material skimmed off a liquid, esp off milk

3. the liquid left after skimming

4. any thin layer covering a surface

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unskimmed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• skimming
  present
• skimmed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• skim
  simple
• skims
  simple
• have skimmed
  perfect
• has skimmed
  perfect
• am skimming
  progressive
• are skimming
  progressive
• is skimming
  progressive
• have been skimming
  perfect progressive
• has been skimming
  perfect progressive

Past

• skimmed
  simple
• had skimmed
  perfect
• was skimming
  progressive
• were skimming
  progressive
• had been skimming
  perfect progressive

Future

• will skim
  simple
• will have skimmed
  perfect
• will be skimming
  progressive
• will have been skimming
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of skim

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English skymen, skemen, variant of scumen “to skim,” perhaps from Old French escumer “to remove scum”; see scum

Explanation

To skim is to remove something from the surface of a liquid. Some cooks skim the fat off of the top of their chicken noodle soup, others skim the cream off milk to make skim (or skimmed) milk. Cream is what you skim off the surface of milk, and if you don't like the whipped version, you might skim it from your hot chocolate. Another way to use the word skim is to mean "read quickly," like when you skim the newspaper, catching just the headlines as you search for the comics section. Skim has an Old French root, escumer, "remove scum," from escume, "scum." The "glance through a book" meaning came later, in the late 1700’s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

skim skims skimmed skimming

Can I suggest you read, or at least skim, Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”?

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

But Mr. Adams seems content to skim the surface.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The government secured guilty pleas in December from two advisors who worked with alongside her to skim money from Becerra.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

So: Should you drink whole milk or skim?

From Slate ● Jan. 28, 2026

She flicks on the gas burner to warm the oatmeal, pouring a little skim milk into it and stirring.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Think of it as a highly subjective road-trip mixtape that skims through history, one that pauses to consider something remarkable unfolding in a pocket of the country at a particular time and place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Here, Borgli only skims the surface, counting on subtext to imply that Charlie and Rachel have been forced to confront innate prejudices about their partners, who are both Black.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2026

Each competitor is allowed three skims and stones must bounce at least twice on water before sinking.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2025

Biskind is just about incapable of being boring, and “Pandora’s Box” skims along with snarky vigor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

He skims over the contents, any emotional impact desired by the author failing miserably and finally.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Lately, though, so many good business and financial books have been coming out that I’ve been reading a bunch of them, and I’ve at least skimmed everything in my growing pile.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

This was not money skimmed from a contract.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

If it appeared on a menu, I skimmed past it.

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026

The holiday’s corpulent, white-bearded dandy arrived even later, his schmaltzy persona skimmed from bony St. Nicholas between Reconstruction and 1931, when Coca-Cola debuted its iconic, brandy-flushed Santa Claus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025

Then I skimmed the introduction, which was written by some lawyer guy.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

It’s sketched out for cynical skimming rather than deeper psychological consideration.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Cleanup teams are skimming and pumping oil from the tributary and deploying absorbent booms and pads to recover oil trapped along the creek bed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025

When reading this advert, you would be forgiven for skimming over the words "first-steps", as a turn of phrase.

From BBC ● Nov. 9, 2025

The shimmering and pellucid choreographic poem presents its central woman as if arriving on a breeze by way of skimming steps on pointe and ultimately exiting as breezily as she arrived.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025

There are tiny bugs floating dead in the water; others are skimming, still alive.

From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• browse
• flip through
• glance
• leaf through
• scan
• skip
• thumb through