skim

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   To pass lightly

   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.
2. 2

   To pass near the surface of

   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.
3. 3

   To hasten along with superficial attention.

   • They skim over a science in a very night superficial survey.
4. ›+ 16 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      To put on a finishing coat of plaster.

      • Ceilings are lined with fibrous asbestos, the internal plastering being reduced to skimming alone.
   2. 5

      To throw an object so it bounces on water.

      • skimming stones
   3. 6

      To ricochet.

   4. 7

      To read quickly or describe summarily, skipping some detail.

      • (through)
      • I skimmed the newspaper over breakfast.
   5. 8

      To scrape off

      To scrape off; to remove (something) from a surface

   6. 9

      To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying on it, by means of a utensil…

      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 skim milk
      • to skim broth
   7. 10

      To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream…

      To clear a liquid from (scum or substance floating or lying on it), especially the cream that floats on top of fresh milk.

      • to skim cream
   8. 11

      To steal money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding…

      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.
      • […] take this money without entering anything into the record-keeping system, thereby accomplishing a theft by skimming.
   9. 12

      To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent…

      To surreptitiously scan a payment card in order to obtain its information for fraudulent purposes.

   10. 13

       To become coated over.

   11. 14

       Having lowered fat content.

   12. 15

       A cursory reading, skipping the details.

   13. 16

       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.
   14. 17

       The act of skimming.

       • Then you could jump 150 years and enjoy a skim across the Solent in Britain's remarkable Hovercraft.
   15. 18

       That which is skimmed off.

   16. 19

       Theft of money from a business before the transaction has been recorded, thus avoiding…

       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.
       • This potential is further increased by the ease of passing on the costs of corruption and racketeering to consumers; a skim of only one percent of a construction project can amount to hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

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