Definition

1. Verb:
   • To move or pass swiftly and lightly over the surface of something: To glide or travel quickly over a surface without penetrating deeply or stopping.
   • To read or examine something superficially or hastily: To look through or read something quickly to get only the main ideas, without paying attention to details.

Examples of Usage

• Verb (Physical Movement):

  • The stone skimmed over the surface of the lake before sinking.
  • The speedboat skimmed over the waves.

• Verb (Reading/Examination):

  • I only had time to skim over the report before the meeting.
  • She skimmed over the terms and conditions without reading them carefully.

Advanced Usage

• "to skim over the details": to avoid discussing or considering the specific, often important, points of a subject.
  • The presentation skimmed over the details of the financial risks involved.

Variants and Related Words

• Skim (verb): The base form, meaning to move lightly over a surface or to read quickly.
  • Please skim this chapter for the key concepts.
• Skimming (noun/gerund): The action of moving lightly over a surface or reading superficially.
  • The skimming of stones is a popular lakeside activity.

Synonyms

• Glide over: To move smoothly and continuously over a surface.
• Scan: To look over or read quickly to find specific information or get a general impression.
• Browse: To look through or read something in a casual, leisurely way.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Skim through: Very similar to "skim over," meaning to read something quickly or superficially.
  • I'll just skim through the article to see if it's relevant.

Related Idioms

• To scratch the surface: To deal with or understand only a small part of a subject. (This is related conceptually to the superficial examination meaning of "skim over.")
  • Our investigation has only scratched the surface of the problem.

Verb

1. move or pass swiftly and lightly over the surface of
2. read superficially