skimming

American  

[skim-ing] / ˈskɪm ɪŋ /

noun

1. Usually skimmings. floating matter that is removed from the surface of a liquid.

2. Metallurgy. skimmings, dross.

3. Slang. the practice of concealing gambling or other profits so as to avoid paying taxes, commissions, etc..

   An audit of their cleaning business uncovered several years of skimming.

4. the practice of electronically appropriating account numbers or other confidential data for illegal use.

   A chip is embedded in the credit card to prevent skimming.

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Etymology

Origin of skimming

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English skemmyng; skim, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Readers less enrapt about the details of these might find themselves skimming sections about them, or those about operating-system updates and later iMac models.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 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

Entrant Jonathan Jennings went on to victory last week as the contest's first American winner, skimming his stones a cumulative distance of 177m.

From BBC • Sep. 15, 2025

And those looks are just skimming the surface.

From Salon • May 6, 2025

Mrs. Castleman peered through round tortoiseshell spectacles over the glass case containing the breads and pastries, her gaze just barely skimming the top.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser

Related Words

• bribery
• crime
• exploitation
• extortion
• fraud
• graft
• malfeasance
• nepotism