slimmer; slimmest
1
: of small diameter or thickness in proportion to the height or length : slender
slimly
adverb
slimness
noun
slimmed; slimming
: to make slender : decrease the size of
: to become slender
Synonyms
Examples of slim in a Sentence
Adjective
She looked slim and fit for her age.
He has a slim build.
I was a lot slimmer in those days.
They have only a slim chance of winning.
Verb
She started exercising to slim her thighs.
I'll skip dessert; I'm slimming.
Recent Examples on the Web
Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Over 10 songs, the slimmer Only God harnesses the frenetic energy the group is known for into a lush sonic storyline of the city and of the intergenerational questions and, at times, resentment plaguing its residents.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
And on April 10, the moon will be just a slim crescent hanging above Jupiter in the west after sunset.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024
This trash can hold up to 12 gallons, which is ideal for a family of three to four and impressive for a slim trash can.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2024
The slim odds don’t seem to deter lottery players who buy more tickets as the prize reaches astronomical levels.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
But by waiting until every team in baseball had to cull their roster to 26 players, the Giants stand a chance (even a slim one) of getting Bart to Sacramento.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
The closest parallel in the House came in 1930, when Republicans won a slim majority.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024
Topline As Republicans vie to hang on to their slim House majority following a chaotic two years in which the GOP grappled with its shift to a party beholden to former President Donald Trump’s divisive brand of politics, these are the races to watch in November.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Mergers and acquisitions can help to slim the number of vendors offering similar services, but market consolidation risks locking security chiefs into business with fewer providers, said John-Claude Hesketh, CEO at Marlin Hawk, a global recruitment firm.
—James Rundle, WSJ, 22 Sep. 2023
The proposal slims the platform from 11 pages to four.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 16 May 2023
Mazda chose to use a wet clutch pack in place of a conventional torque converter; this arrangement is more compact, which slims the transmission's size and opens up additional foot room for front-seat passengers by reducing the width of the transmission tunnel.
—Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 4 Apr. 2023
Avoiding sugary drinks, refined carbs, and excess calories can also help men slim down.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
Where other workstation-y laptops like Dell’s XPS 15 have dropped ports and offer only limited GPU options in an effort to slim down and become more mobile, the X1 Extreme still comes with a healthy selection of ports (both in number and variety) and offers GPUs all the way up to Nvidia’s RTX 3080.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 17 Dec. 2021
He’s spent his first few months on campus trying to slim down some.
—Tim Bielik, cleveland, 9 Oct. 2021
Adjective
With slim Democratic majorities in both chambers, the House and Senate would probably have trouble overriding a full-budget veto.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Over 10 songs, the slimmer Only God harnesses the frenetic energy the group is known for into a lush sonic storyline of the city and of the intergenerational questions and, at times, resentment plaguing its residents.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 5 Apr. 2024
And on April 10, the moon will be just a slim crescent hanging above Jupiter in the west after sunset.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024
This trash can hold up to 12 gallons, which is ideal for a family of three to four and impressive for a slim trash can.
—Andrea Wurzburger, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Apr. 2024
The slim odds don’t seem to deter lottery players who buy more tickets as the prize reaches astronomical levels.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024
But by waiting until every team in baseball had to cull their roster to 26 players, the Giants stand a chance (even a slim one) of getting Bart to Sacramento.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024
The closest parallel in the House came in 1930, when Republicans won a slim majority.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024
Topline As Republicans vie to hang on to their slim House majority following a chaotic two years in which the GOP grappled with its shift to a party beholden to former President Donald Trump’s divisive brand of politics, these are the races to watch in November.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Key Background Lyft hasn’t yet achieved profitability, though its fourth quarter and full-year earnings show the company is managing to slim its losses.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024
Mergers and acquisitions can help to slim the number of vendors offering similar services, but market consolidation risks locking security chiefs into business with fewer providers, said John-Claude Hesketh, CEO at Marlin Hawk, a global recruitment firm.
—James Rundle, WSJ, 22 Sep. 2023
The proposal slims the platform from 11 pages to four.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2023
All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair.
—Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 16 May 2023
Mazda chose to use a wet clutch pack in place of a conventional torque converter; this arrangement is more compact, which slims the transmission's size and opens up additional foot room for front-seat passengers by reducing the width of the transmission tunnel.
—Rich Ceppos, Car and Driver, 4 Apr. 2023
Avoiding sugary drinks, refined carbs, and excess calories can also help men slim down.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 15 Dec. 2022
Where other workstation-y laptops like Dell’s XPS 15 have dropped ports and offer only limited GPU options in an effort to slim down and become more mobile, the X1 Extreme still comes with a healthy selection of ports (both in number and variety) and offers GPUs all the way up to Nvidia’s RTX 3080.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 17 Dec. 2021
He’s spent his first few months on campus trying to slim down some.
—Tim Bielik, cleveland, 9 Oct. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'slim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Dutch, bad, inferior, from Middle Dutch slimp crooked, bad; akin to Middle High German slimp awry
First Known Use
Adjective
1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1862, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Phrases Containing slim
Dictionary Entries Near slim
Cite this Entry
“Slim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slim. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
slim
2 of 2 verb
slimmed; slimming
: to make or become slender
More from Merriam-Webster on slim
Nglish: Translation of slim for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of slim for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about slim
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