as in defeat
failure to win a contest
our football team suffered a pretty severe trimming
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in mastering
to achieve a victory over
a speed skater who consistently trimmed all his competition
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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
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4
as in decorating
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming
trim a tree for Christmas
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5
as in organizing
to make neat
trimmed the shrubbery in order to enhance the house's curb appeal
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trimming
Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
Gardeners can address freeze damage by removing mushy or dead leaves but should wait for new growth before major trimming.
—Becky Wern, Florida Times-Union, 7 Mar. 2026
Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Silver plunged more than 13% before trimming losses.
—Yvonne Yue Li, Bloomberg, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trimming
Noun
The size of the powder puff tree can be controlled by continuous trimming, even by moving them to an indoor location to avoid harsh winter climates.
—Steve Bender, Southern Living, 8 Mar. 2026
Gardeners can address freeze damage by removing mushy or dead leaves but should wait for new growth before major trimming.
—Becky Wern, Florida Times-Union, 7 Mar. 2026
Verb
With Vanity Fair trimming its guest list down to the bone and Warners not throwing the kind of party people like me were invited to, Neon’s Oscar party at Mother Wolf became the de facto post–Governors’ Ball gathering spot.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Silver plunged more than 13% before trimming losses.
—Yvonne Yue Li, Bloomberg, 18 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for trimming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trimming
Noun
-
This was a better defensive effort for the Stars than their sloppy defeat Tuesday night at home against New Jersey.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Mental mistakes have led to losses, such as SKC’s most recent 4-1 defeat to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Join us for a virtual Fortune 500 Europe C-suite conversation, in partnership with Syndio, on mastering workforce decisions and pay transparency in the age of AI.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Suno devised all the vocals, instrumentation, arrangements, production, mixing and mastering for all of Tempchin’s songs on both those albums.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The high waist bunched a little when seated, but it was hardly cause for breaking focus when attempting an inversion (the whipping wind, however, was another story).—
Talia Abbas,
Vogue,
11 Mar. 2026
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Another blow is expected Friday and Saturday, again starting in the northern part of the state before whipping the Los Angeles area.—
Anthony Edwards,
San Francisco Chronicle,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That's because these plug-in or balcony solar panels start shaving off part of a homeowner's or renter's utility bill right away.—
Jeff Brady,
NPR,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Jalen Smith, one of the men alleged to have helped perpetrate a sprawling college basketball point-shaving scheme, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to charges stemming from a Department of Justice indictment that unspooled the gambling ring.—
Mike Vorkunov,
New York Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Aubrey mother uses rally to teach daughter Aubrey residents Emily Murray, 43, and her 9-year-old daughter Storie spent Friday evening making signs and decorating a shirt before attending their first No Kings protest in Frisco on Saturday.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Wreaths are also custom to Ancient Greece, with Greeks traditionally decorating their front door with a flower wreath to symbolize welcoming nature into their homes.—
Anna Halkidis,
Parents,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
He and Mason envision using the app in conjunction with a sports property, like organizing nationwide college tournaments for World Pong without the cost of dispatching operators to each location.—
Justin Birnbaum,
Sportico.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
That’s a song about a heavy topic — organizing an intervention for one of your best friends.—
Mikael Wood,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then, to add insult to injury, the Cavaliers carried a 109-87 lead into the fourth when Cleveland’s Evan Mobley ended the third quarter with a successful 32-foot buzzer-beating heave.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Mar. 2026
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He and Flores also are accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their trafficking operation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Austin Hays also hit a three-run home run for the Sox, who collected their first win of the season by defeating the Miami Marlins 9-4 in front of 6,515 at loanDepot park.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2026
-
New York looked terrific, allowing just a single run over three games, defeating the Giants 7-0, 3-0, and 3-1.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trimming. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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