Sekirov Dictionary

skim

/skɪm/

verb 13
noun 5
adjective 1
forms 5
phrases 2

verb13

To scrape off; to remove (something) from a surface
•
To hasten along with superficial attention.
- They skim over a science in a very night superficial survey. — 1741
•
To read quickly or describe summarily, skipping some detail.
- I skimmed the newspaper over breakfast.
To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying on it, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface.
To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream that floats on top of fresh milk.
•
To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface.
- Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, / Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. — 1711
•
To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to glide swiftly along the surface of.
- Homer describes Mercury as flinging himself from the top of Olympus, and skimming the surface of the ocean. — 1817
To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent purposes.
•
To steal money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection.
- Obviously, the longer cash sits around before being recorded, the more likely it is that a skimming fraud will occur. — 2006
•
To throw an object so it bounces on water.
- skimming stones
To ricochet.
•
To put on a finishing coat of plaster.
- Ceilings are lined with fibrous asbestos, the internal plastering being reduced to skimming alone. — 1924
To become coated over.

noun5

A cursory reading, skipping the details.
•
The act of skimming.
- Then you could jump 150 years and enjoy a skim across the Solent in Britain's remarkable Hovercraft. — 1969
•
(informal) Skim milk.
- Two percent milk has only a fraction less fat than whole milk, so unless you are feeding a child or someone whose diet requires whole milk, skim is best. — 2010
That which is skimmed off.
•
Theft of money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection.
- It's a hustle, but it keeps me busy. I can take in three to three-fifty a week, more with skims. — 1976

adjective1

Having lowered fat content.

forms

skimmed · skimming · skimmeth · skims · skimmest

Phrases with skim

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