skimmer

[ skim-er ]

/ ˈskɪm ər /

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noun

a person or thing that skims: skimmers who just glance at the text; an adept stone skimmer.

a shallow utensil, usually perforated, used in skimming liquids.

an electronic device used surreptitiously to appropriate information from the magnetic strip on a credit or debit card for illegal use: Authorities have verified that skimmers were secretly installed at several local gas pumps.

any of several gull-like birds of the family Rynchopidae, that skim the water with the elongated lower mandible immersed while in search of food.

a stiff, wide-brimmed hat with a shallow flat crown, usually made of straw.

a woman's A-line dress with side darts that shape it slightly to the body.

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Origin of skimmer

First recorded in 1350–1400; skim + -er¹; replacing Middle English skemour, skymour, variants of schumour, from Middle French (e)scumoir “ladle for skimming”; see scum

Words nearby skimmer

skim, ski mask, skimble-scamble, skimboard, skimmed milk, skimmer, skimmerton, skimmia, skim milk, skimming, skimmings

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skimmer in a sentence

When an oil spill happens in a body of water, booms, skimmers or sorbents are often deployed to limit the spread of hydrocarbons on the surface.
Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions|Nikk Ogasa|July 29, 2022|Science News
He and his team use floating nets with booms similar to those used to contain oil spills—or a net that resembles a modified swimming pool skimmer.
The Great Barrier Reef Is Being Depleted by Pollution and Climate Change. Could 'Coral IVF' Save It?|Amy Gunia|December 29, 2021|Time
Skimmers can use a wide array of devices to snoop on your info, so it’s important to consider all the potential attack vectors.
Best RFID wallets to help you guard your digital identity|Ashley Hubbard|December 16, 2021|Popular-Science
Even the lightest skimmer of headlines has probably heard by now about the Great Resignation.
Quitting your job is now a political act|Sarah Todd|September 4, 2021|Quartz

There are also a few up-front costs you must think about, such as getting a ladder, a pool cover, pool skimmer and net, and other essential pool accessories.
The best above-ground pool: Have a splash in your backyard|Irena Collaku|August 12, 2021|Popular-Science
And third, the baskets make it a hell of a lot easier to place and remove the food than even the nicest wok skimmer.
The 2012 Holiday Kitchen Gift Guide|Megan McArdle|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Times Skimmer is offered as part of the Web site, in effect an alternative interface.
How the iPad Could Kill Newspapers|Richard J. Tofel|February 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
But one boat yet remained missing, and in vain the survivors were questioned as to what had become of the Skimmer of the Sea.
East Anglia|J. Ewing Ritchie
Where a small family desires to use the cream for coffee, the skimmer shown in the sketch is very handy.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
She again took up the shining skimmer, held it beneath the pump, and began anew.
Tess of the d'Urbervilles|Thomas Hardy
Take them out of the fat with a skimmer and lay them on brown paper for a moment to free them from grease, then serve them hot.
A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery|Juliet Corson
"Both can be explained," returned the Skimmer, motioning to his companion to follow to the tanrail.
The Water-Witch or, The Skimmer of the Seas|James Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for skimmer

skimmer

/ (ˈskɪmə) /

noun

a person or thing that skims

any of several mainly tropical coastal aquatic birds of the genus Rhynchops, having long narrow wings and a bill with an elongated lower mandible for skimming food from the surface of the water: family Rynchopidae, order Charadriiformes

a flat perforated spoon used for skimming fat from liquids

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

skimmer

Origin of skimmer

Words nearby skimmer

Words related to skimmer

How to use skimmer in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skimmer