as in defeat
failure to win a contest
our football team suffered a pretty severe trimming
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in mastering
to achieve a victory over
a speed skater who consistently trimmed all his competition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whipping
to defeat by a large margin
they trimmed our team by 40 points
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shaving
to make (something) shorter or smaller with the use of a cutting instrument
trimmed her bangs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in decorating
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
trim a tree for Christmas
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in organizing
to make neat
trimmed the shrubbery in order to enhance the house's curb appeal
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trimming
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026
Organized by the curatorial fellow Yifu Liu, the show has trimmings in just about every frame.
—Emilia Petrarca, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Rinna's Carolina Herrera gown plunged all the way down to her ribcage, with two large rosettes trimming the bust.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for trimming
Noun
The grass needs cutting, the edges need trimming, the hedges are creeping and the garden beds are staging a weed rebellion.
—Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Charlotte Observer, 14 Apr. 2026
Organized by the curatorial fellow Yifu Liu, the show has trimmings in just about every frame.
—Emilia Petrarca, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
The study suggests many companies may be trimming staff first, then hoping the payoff from AI shows up later.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 22 May 2026
Rinna's Carolina Herrera gown plunged all the way down to her ribcage, with two large rosettes trimming the bust.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 21 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for trimming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trimming
Noun
-
Burton finished with 16 points on 5-of-15 shooting in the first defeat for Golden State (2-1).—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
-
On Wednesday, his son’s header was responsible for the Quakes’ first defeat since a 1-0 home loss to these Sounders on March 15.—
Jon Becker,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Owners who insist on doing it their way without mastering the existing system will often struggle.—
Seth Lederman,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
-
These creators made that knowledge far more accessible, producing educational content on everything from building a washday routine and transitioning from relaxers to mastering styles like twist-outs.—
Annie Blay-Tettey,
Allure,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Now imagine seeing like half a dozen road-going glizzies whipping around one of the most iconic tracks in all of motorsports.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
It was delivered by the 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, whose torso uncorked in a fit of frustration that sent his right elbow whipping toward Reid’s windpipe like a torpedo bat flying through the strike zone.—
Jon Krawczynski,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
In practical terms, that is roughly a 1–2 percent reduction in total mission velocity change, which is the equivalent of shaving a few liters off every hundred liters in a long-distance road trip.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
17 May 2026
-
Gonce's daily life revolves around caring for Jason — administering medicine, preparing food, bathing and shaving him and keeping him safe.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The ingredients became rather expensive, not to mention that baking, assembling, decorating and transporting a carrot wedding cake was no small feat.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
23 May 2026
-
For families The kids club is tucked away in a garden, with its own pool and water slide as well as a jungle gym and craft classes (like lantern-making, coconut leaf art, and seashell bracelet decorating) for children up to age 12.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
On top of that, the permanent staff organizing the fest and the Marché du Film is now over 50 percent female, including in leadership positions.—
Mia Galuppo,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
High turnout, civic engagement, and community organizing still matter.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
And then there were the beatings.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The ex-death row inmate was first convicted and sentenced to death in 1998 after being found guilty of ordering the fatal beating of his boss, Barry Van Treese, per CNN.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Trump has not endorsed a candidate, raising the likelihood of a June 16 runoff that would burn more time and money before the party can focus on defeating Ossoff.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 May 2026
-
Darby Allin defended his AEW World Championship twice in one week, defeating Konosuke Takeshita and Sammy Guevara.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trimming. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
