Definition

1. Verb:

   • To remove a substance from the surface of a liquid: To take something, especially a layer of fat, cream, or impurities, off the top of a liquid.
   • To move quickly and lightly over a surface: To glide or pass swiftly and smoothly over or along a surface without penetrating it.
   • To read or look over something quickly and superficially: To read or examine something hastily, noting only the main points or highlights.

2. Noun:

   • A thin layer covering the surface of a liquid: A very thin, often barely noticeable, layer of a substance on top of a liquid.
   • The act of reading or glancing through quickly: The action of reading something in a rapid, superficial manner.

3. Adjective:

   • Describing milk or milk products from which the cream has been removed: Used to describe dairy products, especially milk, that have had most or all of the fat content removed.

Examples of Usage

• Verb:

  • Please skim the foam off the top of the soup.
  • The swallows skim the surface of the lake to catch insects.
  • I only had time to skim the report before the meeting.

• Noun:

  • A skim of ice had formed on the puddle overnight.
  • He gave the document a quick skim to find the key figures.

• Adjective:

  • She prefers skim milk in her coffee.

Advanced Usage

• "to skim over": To deal with or mention something very briefly without going into detail.
  • The speaker skimmed over the complex technical issues.
• "to skim off": To take the best part of something, often unfairly.
  • The corrupt officials were accused of skimming off public funds.

Variants and Related Words

• Skimmed (adj): The past participle form, often used as an adjective (e.g., skimmed milk).
• Skimmer (n): A tool or person that skims (e.g., a flat spoon for skimming foam, a bird that skims the water).
• Skimming (n/gerund): The action or process of skimming.

Synonyms

• Verb: Glide, glide over, scan, browse, graze, remove, scoop.
• Noun: Layer, film, coating, glance.
• Adjective: Nonfat, fat-free.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Skim through: To read something quickly to get the main ideas.
  • I'll just skim through these articles to see if they're relevant.
• Skim off: To remove something from the surface; to take the best part for oneself.
  • The company skimmed off the top graduates from the university.

Related Idioms

• "To skim the surface": To deal with something only in a superficial way, without depth or detail.
  • His analysis only skims the surface of the problem.

Adjective

1. used of milk and milk products from which the cream has been removed
   • yogurt made with skim milk
   • she can drink skimmed milk but should avoid butter

Noun

1. reading or glancing through quickly
2. a thin layer covering the surface of a liquid
   • there was a thin skim of oil on the water

Verb

1. read superficially
2. remove from the surface
   • skim cream from the surface of milk
3. coat (a liquid) with a layer
4. cause to skip over a surface
   • Skip a stone across the pond
5. examine hastily
   • She scanned the newspaper headlines while waiting for the taxi
6. move or pass swiftly and lightly over the surface of
7. travel on the surface of water