skim
Third Person
skims
Present Participle
skimming
Past Tense
skimmed
Past Participle
skimmed
1
to lightly and quickly move over a surface
- The skater managed to skim effortlessly across the thin layer of ice.
- The swallowtail butterfly appeared to effortlessly skim from flower to flower.
- The swift wind caused the autumn leaves to skim along the ground, creating a rustling symphony in its wake.
- With a light touch, the artist's brush began to skim over the canvas.
- The bird skimmed the surface of the pond, catching insects in flight.
Synonyms:
2
to move swiftly over a surface, making minimal contact or barely touching it
transitive
- The skipping rope in the hands of the playful child would intermittently skim the ground as they jumped with joy.
- The swift bird of prey would often skim the treetops as it sought its prey in the dense forest.
- The soccer ball seemed to skim the grass as it glided effortlessly toward the goalpost.
- In the quiet library, the pages of the open book seemed to skim one another as the gentle breeze swept through the room.
Synonyms:
3
to remove a substance, such as foam or fat, from the surface of a liquid or object, typically by gently scooping or brushing it off
transitive
- The chef decided to skim the impurities from the soup, ensuring a clear and flavorful broth.
- She used a fine mesh sieve to skim the floating debris from the pond.
- Before serving, the barista would skillfully skim the excess foam from the top of each cappuccino.
- The beekeeper carefully skimmed the beeswax from the top of the honeycombs.
- He decided to skim the excess oil off the top of the soup to reduce its richness.
4
to quickly read through a text, focusing on key information and main points rather than delving into details
transitive
- With limited time before the exam, she decided to skim the textbook to grasp the essential concepts.
- The journalist had to skim the lengthy report to meet the pressing deadline.
- In preparation for the meeting, he skimmed the agenda to identify the main topics.
- Unable to read the entire novel before the book club meeting, she opted to skim the chapters
- To keep up with the latest news, he would regularly skim the headlines of major newspapers.
Synonyms:
5
to throw a flat stone horizontally over the surface of water in a manner that allows it to bounce multiple times
transitive
- With a flick of his wrist, Jake managed to skim the perfect flat stone across the pond.
- The friends spent the afternoon by the lake, competing to see who could skim a stone the farthest.
- Mark eagerly demonstrated his ability to skim stones, creating a mesmerizing display for onlookers.
- Tim focused on finding the flattest stone to skim across the tranquil pond on their countryside picnic.
6
to cover a surface with a thin layer of coating
transitive
- After simmering the soup, a delicate layer of fat began to skim the surface.
- As the paint dried on the canvas, a subtle texture started to skim the surface.
- After the rain, a thin layer of dew began to skim the grass.
- As the candle burned, a thin layer of wax began to skim the candleholder.
- With each passing day, a layer of dust began to skim the neglected bookshelves.
7
to briefly address or handle a subject with only a cursory overview
transitive
- During the meeting, the manager decided to skim the budgetary issues, focusing only on the key figures.
- The professor, pressed for time in the lecture, chose to skim the historical context of the event.
- In the presentation, the speaker opted to skim the technical aspects of the project.
- Recognizing the time constraints, the journalist had to skim the background information in the article.
- As the debate heated up, the moderator had to skim the controversial topic.
Synonyms: