trimming 1 of 2

noun

ˈtri-miŋ How to pronounce trimming (audio)
Definition of trimmingnext
as in defeat
failure to win a contest our football team suffered a pretty severe trimming

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

trimming

2 of 2

verb

present participle of trim
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
Noun
Despite continued trimming of Bank of America (BAC) and other financial companies in the quarter, the sector remains the portfolio’s most significant overweight at almost 35% of assets. — Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Yard trimmings should be brought to the sites in containers or bags. — Matthew Cupelli, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Aug. 2026
Verb
The agency also recommends trimming tall grass and weeds, checking window and door screens and limiting outdoor activity around dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes that spread West Nile virus are most active. — Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026 The latest price hikes follow the NBCUniversal streaming service recently reporting its first-ever profitable quarter after a long road of trimming startup losses. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 18 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for trimming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trimming
  1. defeat
  2. mastering
  3. whipping
  4. shaving
  5. decorating
  6. organizing
  7. beating
  8. defeating
Noun
  • Ultimately, Jacksonville State’s physicality should overwhelm FIU on both sides of the ball, resulting in an ugly defeat for the Panthers.
    — Alejandro Hernandez, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Meghan also wouldn’t be seen in public, including at Harry’s Invictus Games events, after her husband suffered a stunning and potentially costly court defeat in his invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeat
Verb
  • But the practical race in 2026 is won by mastering both contests at once with absolute capability and radical efficiency, closed excellence and open diffusion, the biggest reliable compute and the smartest use of it.
    — Mark Minevich, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Hybrid tech has been around for decades, and some automakers have refined their hybrid nameplates over the years, mastering the balance between affordability and efficiency for consumers.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of mastering
Verb
  • Whisk with ¾ cup whole milk and use in any sweet recipe that doesn’t require whipping.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Aug. 2026
  • At the landing zone, with bullets whipping and cracking around them, Capers—barely clinging to consciousness—refused to board the helicopter until every last man, and his dog’s body, was aboard.
    — Ethan Rocke, Charlotte Observer, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of whipping
Verb
  • The 23-year-old and his Serbia team-mates won the Davis Cup for the first time in December 2010, and fulfilled a promise by shaving their heads in celebration.
    — Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Go bananas with shaving cream Have your kids hop into a dry bathtub with their swimsuit on.
    — Michelle Crouch, Parents, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaving
Verb
  • After moving out, everything went into storage, but Nunez’s decorating ambitions didn’t end with freshman year.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The holiday season in downtown Parkville The holiday season in downtown Parkville begins in full force by early November, when small businesses begin decorating their storefronts and setting out holiday merchandise.
    — Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of decorating
Verb
  • Those convicted on Friday were key leaders of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, the group responsible for organizing the annual remembrance until 2019.
    — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Keeping your shoes on the floor isn’t wrong, but there are wrong ways to do it, like organizing them only by color, for one.
    — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of organizing
Noun
  • Police arrested a 16-year-old boy from the Israeli settlement of Avigayil in the beating of a 61-year-old Palestinian man.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Chicago’s Indian Independence Day celebrations kicked off with the revving of motorcycles and the beating of drums, as a few dozen marchers decked out in orange, white and green headed down Devon Avenue in West Ridge.
    — Evgenia Anastasakos, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of beating
Verb
  • Flag football Panorama pulled off the biggest upset of the week, defeating Eagle Rock in four overtimes.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Day denied that defeating Sununu is his ultimate objective, instead describing his campaign as an experiment in using third-party candidates to force the major parties to keep their promises.
    — Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of defeating

Browse Nearby Words

trimmers
trimming
trimmings
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trimming. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of southpaw

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All