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
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Yes, according to the Department of Environment and Conservation, burning leaves and other debris — such as branches, tree limbs, twigs, lawn clippings, woody vegetation, yard trimmings, clean unpainted/uncoated wood, or untreated lumber — is allowed in Tennessee.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Aug. 2025
Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Choose an upright cultivar and begin trimming it in early fall into a conical tree.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trimming
Noun
This year’s annual cast-trimming seems to have struck some fans particularly hard, what with the popular Walker, Longfellow, Emil Wakim and Heidi Gardner among producer Lorne Michaels’ chopping-block heads.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2025
Yes, according to the Department of Environment and Conservation, burning leaves and other debris — such as branches, tree limbs, twigs, lawn clippings, woody vegetation, yard trimmings, clean unpainted/uncoated wood, or untreated lumber — is allowed in Tennessee.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
With revisions earlier this year mostly trimming prior readings, more downward revisions could be due.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
Choose an upright cultivar and begin trimming it in early fall into a conical tree.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for trimming
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trimming
Noun
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Biden and, by extension, Harris will be remembered even and perhaps especially by Democrats as symbolizing disappointment and defeat.—
W. James Antle III,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Austin Corbett used stronger terms to describe the mood following the 26-10 defeat.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
True freedom isn't a future milestone; it's built from day one by designing for mobility, choosing clients who respect boundaries, building self-sufficient systems, mastering asynchronous communication, and pricing for a location-independent lifestyle.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Moving forward, mastering a personal podcast could replace soft-focus biographies or wonky books as a way for politicians to increase their profiles.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Boaters were the last to be warned to watch the sky as a line of wind-whipping storms pushed out to sea.—
Joe Dwinell,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Golden State usually opens games whipping the ball around and making teams uncomfortable with its aggressive style of defense.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Early on the morning of March 16th, Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, posted video footage of Salvadoran agents marching the Venezuelan men into prison and shaving their heads.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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One analyst suggested that shaving a percentage point off the state’s income tax could cut available revenues by roughly $5 billion.—
State House News Service,
Boston Herald,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Offset spatula This decorating tool is a skinny, rectangular spatula used to assist in smoothing icing, which will give your cake a polished finish.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
11 Sep. 2025
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Spoon out 2 tablespoons of nuts to a small bowl; set aside for decorating.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Removing the pressure of a large-scale organizing or decluttering effort can be a game changer for people who struggle with organizing.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Some common areas employees are using AI include drafting emails, taking meeting notes, organizing files, data entry and completing forms.—
Ernestine Siu
Shreya Ghosal,
CNBC,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Genser argued that those injuries did not contribute to her death and that there was no evidence of a beating taking place in the condo.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Sep. 2025
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Detainees have alleged torture and beatings inside CECOT since their release.—
Nick Penzenstadler,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Chargers got off to a hot start to the season in year two under Jim Harbaugh by defeating the Chiefs 27-21 in the NFL season opener.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Jovic lifted the trophy by defeating Colombia’s Emiliana Arango 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s final of the WTA 500 tournament in Zapopan, Mexico.—
Manasi Pathak,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trimming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trimming. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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