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• slim
  slim

  adjective

  slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.
• Slim
  Slim

  noun

  the E African name for AIDS

slim

American  

[slim] / slɪm /

adjective

• slimmer,
  comparative
• slimmest
  superlative

1. slender, as in girth or form; slight in build or structure.

   Synonyms:

   thin

   Antonyms:

   fat

2. poor or inferior.

   a slim chance; a slim excuse.

3. small or inconsiderable; meager; scanty.

   a slim income.

   Synonyms:

   paltry, trivial, trifling, insignificant

   Antonyms:

   abundant, considerable

4. sized for the thinner than average person.

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verb (used with object)

slimmed, slimming

1. to make slim.

verb (used without object)

slimmed, slimming

1. to become slim.

2. Chiefly British. to try to become more slender, especially by dieting.

noun

1. a garment size meant for a thin person.

verb phrase

1. slim down

   1. to lose weight, especially intentionally.

   2. (of a business) to reduce operating expenses; economize.

slim ¹ British  

/ slɪm /

adjective

1. small in width relative to height or length

2. small in amount or quality

   slim chances of success

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verb

1. to make or become slim, esp by diets and exercise

2. to reduce or decrease or cause to be reduced or decreased

Slim ² British  

/ slɪm /

noun

1. the E African name for AIDS

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Slim ³ British  

/ slɪm /

noun

1. William Joseph , 1st Viscount. 1891–1970, British field marshal, who commanded (1943–45) the 14th Army in the reconquest of Burma (now called Myanmar) from the Japanese; governor general of Australia (1953–60)

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Synonym Usage

See slender.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• slimmer
  noun
• slimness
  noun
• unslimness
  noun
• unslim
  adjective
• unslimmed
  adjective
• slimly
  adverb
• unslimly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• slimmer
  comparative
• slimmest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of slim

1650–60; < Dutch slim sly, (earlier) crooked (cognate with German schlimm bad, (earlier) crooked)

Explanation

Anything slim is thin or narrow. So, your sister may be considered slim, and you could also have "a slim chance" of winning the lottery. Slim people are slender, and slim things are usually delicate, like a slim watch band. You can also use slim to describe a margin or a chance: "There was only a slim likelihood that the home team would win this game." Back in the early 1800s, to slim meant "to do one's work carelessly," and in the seventeenth century, the adjective was also used to mean "sly or crafty."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

slim Slim slimmer slimmest slimmed slimming

An energy firm facing backlash over plans for new power lines has unveiled what it has described as a "slim and compact" pylon, designed "with the Welsh landscape in mind".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

So the chances of this happening in any meaningful way are slim at best.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Even after that, the yen hovered near the 160 threshold due to factors including slim prospects for a rapid rate-gap narrowing and concerns over Japan’s fiscal health.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

Their slim bodies and long front legs may have helped them travel efficiently through the open landscapes of Pleistocene North America.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

She got a carpenter to put together a number of slim tall stepladders and she placed one of these against each table in the house so that I could climb up whenever I wanted to.

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

Hermès now sells some very high-end mechanical watches, such as a men’s Slim d’Hermès Quantieme Perpetual that costs more than $50,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

The maker of Slim Jim and Healthy Choice has seen its shares slide by 26% over the past 12 months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

Nara and Lucky Blue Smith, 28, married in 2020 and share four children: eldest daughter Rumble Honey, son Slim Easy, Whimsy Lou and infant Fawnie Golden.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Conagra is known for grocery-aisle staples like Slim Jim, Reddi-wip, and Marie Callender’s.

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

George asked, “Did you see Slim out in the barn?”

From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Just inside the door, there was a flimsy mannequin with the face of a much younger, slimmer Trump, wearing a red “Trump 2028” hat, a dark suit, and a signature red tie.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

Soon, the fun fan shot was replaced by one of those grim before-and-after shots: An obese Goodman in his 30s and the slimmer Goodman in his 70s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

Responding to the watchdog, Jaded London argued it was "not clear" the model was holding a cigarette because it was slimmer than normal and "did not appear to be lit".

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

The slimmer Whirlpool hunkered down in the Western Hemisphere, where its profit margins were highest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Then it would be passed through the one just smaller, and so through every hole in turn, growing longer and slimmer all the time, until it changed from an ingot into wire.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

PNC Bank data also show that lower-income household spending, excluding gasoline, has accelerated this year, narrowing the gap with higher-income spending growth to the slimmest margin since 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

With Sri Lanka chasing down the target with ease, the Australians are left clinging to only the slimmest mathematical hope and will watch nervously as Zimbabwe face Ireland on Tuesday.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

In a semi-final dominated by the return, Gauff edged Paolini by the slimmest of margins.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025

Come January, the GOP will hold one of the slimmest House majorities of all time.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024

My aunt wasn’t a timid woman, but even at her slimmest, I can’t see her ever entering this pageant.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

First introduced in 1988, the Omega Speedmaster Reduced took the Speedmaster Professional — which comes in a sizable 42mm case sizing — and slimmed it down to a chill 39mm.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The divestment from True comes after the Nordic telecom slimmed down its presence in Asia, selling its Telenor Pakistan business in December.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026

Though the fest itself has been cut down from 11 days to six, the amount of talent jammed into that week doesn’t appear to have slimmed down much at all.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026

Pre-tax profit excluding one-off costs for the slimmed down business was £108m for the year to the end of August, WH Smith said.

From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2025

She’d slimmed down and shot up and started worrying about clothes.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

It is like “everyone was just given the ability to take a GLP-1,” says Reno, comparing the AI’s slimming effects on companies to weight-loss drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Nestlé is trying to end the slump by winning back market share and slimming down its sprawling business.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

The packaged foods conglomerate’s efforts to focus its operations come as many of its peers are also slimming down brand offerings and shifting away from large, sprawling portfolios.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

As part of a vast slimming down of its business, which has included selling some medical practices, UnitedHealth also said it completed the sale of Optum UK for $400 million.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026

I’ve worn black today, because I’ve heard so often that it’s supposed to be slimming.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan