From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtrimtrim1 /trɪm/ ●●○ verb (trimmed, trimming) [transitive] 1 cutCUT to make something look neater by cutting small pieces off it Pete was trimming the lawn around the roses. I have my hair trimmed every six weeks.trim something away/off Trim away any excess glue with a knife.► see thesaurus at cut2 reduceREDUCE to reduce a number, amount, or the size of something We need to trim costs by £500m. The bill would trim the number of immigrants to the US.trim something from/off something The company trimmed £46,000 from its advertising budget.3 decorateDECORATE to decorate something, especially clothes, by adding things that look prettybe trimmed with something a dress trimmed with lace At Christmas, the whole family helps trim the tree.Grammar Trim is often passive in this meaning.4 sailTTW to move the sails of a boat in order to go faster → trim something ↔ back → trim down→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
trim• Congress plans to trim $200 million from the Pentagon budget.• Do you think the hedge needs trimming?• In February, you must trim back to a fat bud.• By trimming costs and improving service the hotel has now started to make a profit again.• The council had to trim its £21.6m spending plans by £1.4m, due to the Government's capping limits.• Could you just trim my hair at the back?• I need to trim my mustache.• Press down the edges to seal and trim off the excess pastry.• Stocks and bonds yesterday trimmed part of their losses made earlier this week.• Use a sharp knife to trim round fittings or skirting boards - obviously this needs to be done with care.• We trimmed the bushes in front of the house.• The proposed bill would trim welfare spending by $5 billion.• The house was made of gingerbread and trimmed with raisins and nuts.trim costs• Neither patients or doctors have any incentive to use purchaser power to trim costs.be trimmed with something• Her black dress was trimmed with blue ribbon. trimtrim2 adjective 1 THIN PERSONa person who is trim is thin in an attractive healthy way SYN slim I play tennis to keep trim. a trim figure2 TIDYneat and well cared for trim suburban gardensExamples from the Corpus
trim• Walking to work helps her keep trim.• They appear in health club ads, fit, trim and tanned, with impossibly taut abdomens.• He looks trim and well turned out in a new dark suit.• Fashionable lacing on the waistband of these trousers helps to accentuate a trim figure.• a trim, neatly dressed young man• a trim suburban yard• Neither one spoke now as they came up the brick walk toward the trim white Cape.• It was a trim white house with a ladder leaning against it.trim figure• Fashionable lacing on the waistband of these trousers helps to accentuate a trim figure.• Men find her trim figure and neat little face with its impossibly turned-up nose, very appealing.• She glanced up to see a familiar trim figure strolling languidly out of the entrance to the Members' Enclosure.trimtrim3 noun 1 [singular]CUT when something is cut to make it look neater My beard needs a trim.2 → in (good) trim3 [singular, uncountable]DECORATE additional decoration on a car, piece of clothing etc suede sandals with gold trimExamples from the Corpus
trim• I'm going to the barbershop to get a trim.• Ian gave Sue's hair a trim before shampooing it.• Borough Hall was a brick building with white trim.• Ersatz wood trim out of place on a pricey sport-ute.From Longman Business Dictionarytrimtrim /trɪm/ verb (trimmed, trimming) [transitive] to remove parts of a plan, set of activities, company etc in order to reduce its costsWe need to trim the Defence budget by another £500m.The company is to trim its workforce (=reduce the number of people it employs) by 10%.Stock has shot up 54 percent this year as the firm trimmed its debt and narrowed its focus on the healthcare industry.→ See Verb tableOrigin trim1 Old English trymian, trymman “to strengthen, arrange”, from trum “strong, firm” 