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Definition of skim
skimmed
;skimming
transitive verb
1a : to clear (a liquid) of scum or floating substance skim boiling syrupb : to remove (a film, a layer of scum, etc.) from the surface of a liquidc : to remove cream from by skimmingd : to remove the best or most easily obtainable contents from
2 : to read, study, or examine superficially and rapidly; especially : to glance through (something, such as a book) for the chief ideas or the plot
3 : to throw in a gliding path; especially : to throw so as to ricochet along the surface of water
4 : to cover with or as if with a film, scum, or coat
5 : to pass swiftly or lightly over
6a : to remove or conceal (money, such as a portion of casino profits) to avoid payment of taxesb : embezzle skimming money from employee pension plans
intransitive verb
1a : to pass lightly or hastily : glide or skip along, above, or near a surfaceb : to give a cursory glance, consideration, or reading
2 : to become coated with a thin layer of film or scum
Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd
Examples of skim in a Sentence
He skimmed the leaves from the pool.
The cream is skimmed from the milk.
The milk is skimmed before it is bottled.
She only skimmed the reading assignment.
She only skimmed through the reading assignment.
Recent Examples of skim from the Web
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All those hydroplanes on Fourth of July weekend, skimming above the Ohio River at about 200 mph, out to the Milton-Madison Bridge and back again.
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Use a type of weeder or hoe that skims below the soil surface, slicing weeds off at the roots, but doesn't turn over lots of soil.
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In April and May, class action lawsuits filed in New York and California alleged that Uber skimmed millions of dollars from passengers.
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A possibly greater carrier threat is the sea-skimming anti-ship missile.
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Poach in boiling water until gnocchi float and feel firm when skimmed out of the water.
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Crosby earned a secondary assist after Malkin blasted a one-timer that skimmed off Rinne’s glove at 15:32.
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Something lightweight e.g. a 10 year old child would easily skim off the top of the water and fly off...
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Skimming just 5,000 kilometers above the cloud tops, Juno flies closer to Jupiter than any spacecraft has before (not counting the time the Galileo orbiter intentionally crashed into the planet to end that mission in September 2003).
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skim'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of skim
Middle English skymmen, skemen, probably from Anglo-French escumer, from escume foam, scum, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch schum scum — more at scum
Recent Examples of skim from the Web
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Has sell by/best by dates of June 22-July 13; covers traditional, organic, whole, 2%, 1%, skim, half and half, heavy cream, whole chocolate and 1% chocolate in gallon, half-gallon, quart, pint and half-pint sizes.
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Such is life for Pence, who has earned his boss’s support and confidence one laudatory and skim-milk utterance at a time.
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Fill a cocktail shaker with plain ice; add 1/2 cup skim milk and 1 teaspoon sugar.
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There’s so much extra skim milk that some processors have dumped it into holes used for livestock manure.
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Instead this documentary serves as a feature-length advertisement for the artist, and is about as daring as a billboard for skim milk.
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For student lunches, this means that preferentially offering skim or nonfat milk instead of whole milk goes against the science.
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Maybe a Texas-sized coffee brew house with a skim latte waterfall would be perfect in Dallas or Houston?
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Earlier this year, Canada said the lowering of skim-milk product prices would be extended on a longer-term basis and carried out nationwide.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skim'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of skim
14th century
skim
Definition of skim
1 : having the cream removed by skimming
2 : made of skim milk skim cheese
First Known Use of skim
1794
SKIM Defined for English Language Learners
skim
playDefinition of skim for English Language Learners
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: to remove a layer of something from the surface of a liquid
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: to look over or read (something) quickly especially to find the main ideas
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: to throw (a flat stone) along the surface of water so that it bounces
SKIM Defined for Kids
skim
playDefinition of skim for Students
skimmed
;skimming
1 : to clean a liquid of scum or floating substance : remove (as cream or film) from the top part of a liquid
2 : to read or examine quickly and not thoroughly I skimmed the newspaper.
3 : to skip (a stone) along the surface of water
4 : to pass swiftly or lightly over He brushed the treetops / And skimmed the grass … — Shel Silverstein, Where the Sidewalk Ends
Learn More about skim
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See words that rhyme with skim Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for skim Spanish Central: Translation of skim Nglish: Translation of skim for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of skim for Arabic speakers
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