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

One study found that people who consumed at least one serving of skim or low-fat milk each day had a 19% increased risk of prostate cancer compared with those who rarely drank it.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026

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

It had been hoped Bluebird would reach sufficient speed to allow it to "plane" - the point at which hydrodynamics enable the machine to skim across the surface of the lake.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

Can’t face her as he lies, so he pretends to skim the potato chip options.

From "Clean Getaway" by Nic Stone

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

Equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle, it skims along the earth’s atmosphere and can maneuver, making it less predictable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 7, 2025

The screenplay hits the big moments and skims the details, but it also leaves room for director Thomas Napper to lean into flashes of lyrical dreaminess.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2024

While baggier hems are more popular, Turner Allen, 31, a stylist, suggests wearing a pant that skims the top of the shoe: in denim he suggests a quarter- or half-break.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024

One of Mr. James Ito’s smiles skims his face butterfly-like.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

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

From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026

The drop was driven mainly by falling cheese and butter prices, due to ample supplies and strong global competition, while milk powder prices edged higher, supported by renewed import demand for skimmed milk powder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 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

Based between an ancient burial mound and a rusting tin hut, the men stood on top of a nuclear fallout bunker, while aircraft skimmed them at terrifyingly low altitudes.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2025

I skimmed his arm with my palm, like an apology.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

"Whenever you mention stone skimming, it immediately brings up nostalgic memories of doing it with their family - parents or grandparents teaching them how to do it," he explained.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Ellis, a sweet guy not averse to skimming a little off the top when dealing with moneyed customers — it’s a summer getaway for the rich — takes an immediate shine to Annie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

Michael Jackson showed off his signature move, the moonwalk, on television in 1983, skimming backwards across the stage to his No. 1 hit “Billie Jean.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

They cruised low to the ground, skimming over bushes, dodging tree trunks, and swishing past branches.

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

Related Words

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