trimming

[trim-ing]

noun

1. anything used or serving to decorate or complete.

   the trimmings of a Christmas tree.

2. Usually trimmings an accompaniment or garnish to a main dish.

   roast turkey with all the trimmings.

3. trimmings, pieces cut off in trimming, clipping, paring, or pruning.

4. the act of a person or thing that trims.

5. Informal.,  a beating or thrashing.

6. Informal.,  a defeat.

   Our team took quite a trimming.

trimming

/ ˈtrɪmɪŋ /

noun

1. an extra piece used to decorate or complete

2. (plural) usual or traditional accompaniments

   roast turkey with all the trimmings

3. (plural) parts that are cut off

4. dialect,  (plural) ornaments; decorations

   Christmas trimmings

5. informal,  a reproof, beating, or defeat

Word History and Origins

Origin of trimming¹

First recorded in 1510–20; trim + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

You don’t need to exit your positions wholesale, but consider trimming them and rotating into small- and mid-cap stocks, says Paul Stanley, chief investment officer of Granite Bay Wealth Management in Portsmouth, N.H.

Read more on Barron's

Guild says those everyday investors, are more savvy than given credit for, buying when those stocks dip and trimming when they climb, and not dumping entire positions.

Read more on MarketWatch

Generally, Christmas is a quiet time for the housing market as potential buyers and sellers concentrate on turkey and trimmings instead.

Read more on BBC

“I was washing dishes and my hands are still wet, and your father, he’s out back trimming the apple tree.”

Read more on Literature

Prices have slipped slightly since then, trimming the gains to a mere $1.1 billion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• decoration 
• frill 
• ornamentation