skim Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a thin layer covering the surface of a liquid
- there was a thin skim of oil on the water
noun reading or glancing through quickly
skimming.
verb travel on the surface of water
plane.
verb move or pass swiftly and lightly over the surface of
skim over.
verb examine hastily
glance over; rake; run down; scan.
- She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi
verb cause to skip over a surface
skip; skitter.
- Skip a stone across the pond
verb coat (a liquid) with a layer
verb remove from the surface
cream off; skim off; cream.
- skim cream from the surface of milk
verb read superficially
skim over.
adjective satellite used of milk and milk products from which the cream has been removed
skimmed.
- yogurt made with skim milk
- she can drink skimmed milk but should avoid butter

Cf. Sw. skymma to darken. See Scum.

imperfect & past participle Skimmed ; present participle & verbal noun Skimming

To clear (a liquid) from scum or substance floating or lying thereon, by means of a utensil that passes just beneath the surface; as, to skim milk; to skim broth.
To take off by skimming; as, to skim cream.
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. Hazlitt.
Fig.: To read or examine superficially and rapidly, in order to cull the principal facts or thoughts; as, to skim a book or a newspaper.

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. Pope.
To hasten along with superficial attention.
They skim over a science in a very superficial survey. I. Watts.
To put on the finishing coat of plaster.