From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishskimskim /skɪm/ verb (skimmed, skimming) 1 [transitive]REMOVE to remove something from the surface of a liquid, especially floating fat, solids, or oilskim something off/from something After simmering the meat, skim the fat from the surface.2 [intransitive, transitive]READ to read something quickly to find the main facts or ideas in it SYN scan Julie skimmed the sports page.skim through/over Just skim through the second section to save time.3 [intransitive, transitive]TOUCH to move along quickly over a surface, never touching it or not touching it often seagulls skimming the wavesskim over/along/across The ball skimmed across the grass and stopped against the wall.4 → skim stones/pebbles etc5 [transitive] to secretly record the details of someone’s credit card electronically in order to use them illegally → skim somebody/something ↔ off→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
skim• Her mind skimmed back to the dinner on Friday night.• When stock is cold, skim fat from the top.• She picked up the stick and hurled it, skimming it low over the shallow pools left by the tide.• But fashion, as always, changed and the short skirt fell - literally - from favour and started skimming the ankles.• Jack opened the paper and skimmed the headlines.• I skimmed the newspaper but didn't see any report on the demonstration.• Or, the reader may have merely skimmed the second paragraph and sent back an incomplete form.• He threw a flat stone and watched it skim the surface of the lake.• Planes skimmed the treetops as they flew in with tanks full of water to put out the fire.• Seagulls skimmed the water, looking for fish.• He skimmed through the piece quickly, barely concentrating.• She didn't have much time so she just skimmed through the report before the meeting.• The first hour proved fairly turbulent, as we skimmed under some cumulus build-ups.skim through/over• A long-line jacket with tapered trousers skims over any figure flaws.• The intimate dining room boasts art deco-inspired decor that Lau designed himself after skimming through magazines.• The considerations of adult sexuality have been skimmed over rather superficially, all the same, in this chapter.• But much can also be gained even if one simply skims over the arguments in order to obtain merely their flavour.• He skimmed through the piece quickly, barely concentrating.• He could see it skimming over the surface of the black waters of the Liffey far below.• We should be glad we skim over these fields of pillows in Alvin.• In the introduction, Blake skims over various stylistic approaches and attempts to justify his own.skim over/along/across• The hot-air balloon skims along a wash, following the narrow line of trees and bushes across the desert.• A long-line jacket with tapered trousers skims over any figure flaws.• The considerations of adult sexuality have been skimmed over rather superficially, all the same, in this chapter.• But much can also be gained even if one simply skims over the arguments in order to obtain merely their flavour.• He reached for the bat and sent it skimming along the boards.• We should be glad we skim over these fields of pillows in Alvin.• Eventually, you can skim over those cracks with joint compound and repaint.From Longman Business Dictionaryskimskim /skɪm/ verb (skimmed, skimming) [transitive] (also skim off) American English to take money illegally, for example by not saying that you have made profits so that you do not have to pay taxHe was accused of skimming profits from junk bond trading.Corrupt profiteers have skimmed off much of the nation’s vast mineral wealth over the past decades.→ See Verb tableOrigin skim (1400-1500) Perhaps from scum “to remove scum” ((14-19 centuries)), from scum (noun) 