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

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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

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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

But Mr. Adams seems content to skim the surface.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“If my remaking was skim plaster, she feared, it would crumble. It would not hold me into adulthood.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 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

It cuts a lonely figure as it skims across the waves.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 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

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

Sam picks the flash cards up and skims through them.

From "Piecing Me Together" by Renée Watson

Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm hammered a four-seam fastball that skimmed the top of the strike zone over the center-field wall in the first inning.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

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

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

Archer’s gaze skimmed over the little encampment he’d made in the trees.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Rentner led visitors around by boat then, skimming over the inundated land.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

The gangs depend on secretive “builders” who meticulously construct skimming devices that even diligent merchants can miss, investigators say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 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

They tumble until they look like they’re going to crash into the ground—and then suddenly pull up, so that they’re skimming right above the glacier.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu

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Related Words

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

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