skim

Meaning

Verb

1. (intransitive) To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface.
2. (transitive) To pass near the surface of; to brush the surface of; to glide swiftly along the surface of.
3. To hasten along with superficial attention.
4. To put on a finishing coat of plaster.
5. (transitive) To throw an object so it bounces on water.
6. (intransitive) To ricochet.
7. (transitive) To read quickly or describe summarily, skipping some detail.
8. (transitive) To scrape off; to remove (something) from a surface
9. (transitive) To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying on it, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface.
10. (transitive) To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream that floats on top of fresh milk.
11. To steal money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection.
12. To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent purposes.
13. (intransitive) To become coated over.

Adj

Having lowered fat content.

Noun

1. (countable, uncountable) A cursory reading, skipping the details.
2. (countable, informal, uncountable) Skim milk.
3. (countable, uncountable) The act of skimming.
4. (countable, uncountable) That which is skimmed off.
5. (countable, uncountable) Theft of money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding detection.

Synonyms

skim over

scum

skimmed

cream

glide

graze

skim off

scan

glance over

rake

slag-off

skitter

slide

cream off

plane

husk

skip

dross trap

hull

sweep over

shell

🐚

skimming

peel

browse

run down

skin

glance

crust

froth

foam

choir

flip

flick

filter

film

📽️

crash

cheat

breeze

eye

👁️

kite

🪁

exfoliate

cortex

jacket

leach

leer

mantle

membrane

meninx

mouse

🐭

investment

Translations

abschöpfen

puiser

absahnen

überfliegen

scorrere

scheren

afschuimen

scremare

spannare

desnatar

afromen

schuimen

ontromen

ricochetear

écrémer

Pronounced as (IPA)

/skɪm/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: skemen

In summary

From Middle English skemen, skymen, variants of scumen, from Old French escumer (“to remove scum”), from escume (“froth, foam”), from Frankish *skūm (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *skew- (“to cover, conceal”). See scum.