scrim

noun

1
: a durable plain-woven usually cotton fabric for use in clothing, curtains, building, and industry
2
: a theater drop that appears opaque when a scene in front is lighted and transparent or translucent when a scene in back is lighted
3
: something likened to a theater scrim

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web What at first appears to be a roofless ruin seen through a scrim of lindens is a walled patio designed by Mr. Van Valkenburgh’s team. James S. Russell, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2020 DeVita poses most of her sitters in front of a scrim, with a distinctive marbled design. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Sep. 2022 Water puppet theater, in which the puppeteers stand behind a scrim, chest-deep in water, manipulating their charges along the pool’s surface, is one of Vietnam’s most charming forms of folk performance. Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2022 Instead, Harry seems to be fully present, with no scrim between himself and the reader. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2023 The genealogical tree that descends on a scrim between the first few scenes is a kind of holy record. Naveen Kumar, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2022 But for the past two mornings, the morning light has reminded me of Los Angeles in October — soft, yellow-golden in color, clearly filtered through a scrim of something suspended in the air. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 2 July 2014 Domestic labor in Latino neighborhoods is charted, men and women glimpsed with washing machines through a scrim of graffiti scrawled on the windows. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2022 Writer-director Todd Field’s capture of the classical world is so true to life, and Blanchett’s inhabitation of it so convincing, that the border between Tár’s world and ours feels as thin as a scrim of light. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 14 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scrim.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrim was in 1793

Dictionary Entries Near scrim

Cite this Entry

“Scrim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrim. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on scrim

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


Love It or Hate It

  • heart-fire
  • When asked about her blind date, Carol spoke for hours with vitriol.
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY