skimming
Americannoun
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Usually skimmings. floating matter that is removed from the surface of a liquid.
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Metallurgy. skimmings, dross.
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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.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of skimming
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English skemmyng; see skim, -ing 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Skimming fungus off expired financial products since 2008,
From MarketWatch • Nov. 23, 2025
Skimming schemes started spiking in prevalence around 2022.
From New York Times • May 4, 2024
Skimming the ingredient list, you could mistake it for chicken Alfredo.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 3, 2024
In 2017, she received a notification for the All England Stone Skimming Championships in Windermere.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2023
Skimming the wave-crests he reached at last the lovely island which had become for Odysseus a hateful prison.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
