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Another word for skim

a-z
Verb

  1. To strike a surface at such an angle as to be deflected

      1. To move by hopping on one foot and then the other.
      2. To leap lightly about.
      3. To bounce over or be deflected from a surface; skim or ricochet:
      1. To rebound at least once from a surface.
      2. The act or an instance of ricocheting.
      1. To feed on growing grasses and herbage.
      2. To eat a variety of appetizers as a full meal.
      3. To eat snacks throughout the day in place of full meals.
      1. To direct the eyes at or toward something briefly:
      2. To read quickly or in cursory fashion:
      3. To strike a surface at such an angle as to be deflected:
      1. To fish by letting a baited hook fall gently onto the water.
      2. To dip lightly or quickly into water, as a bird does.
      3. To skip or bounce, especially over the surface of water.
      1. A collision followed by a rebound.
      2. A shot in billiards in which the cue ball successively strikes two other balls.
      3. A similar shot in a related game, such as pool.
    See also:

    strike

  2. To make light and momentary contact with, as in passing

      1. To remove the beard or other body hair from, with a razor or shaver:
      2. To cut (the beard, for example) at the surface of the skin with a razor or shaver.
      3. To crop, trim, or mow closely:
      1. To touch or caress with the lips as an expression of affection, greeting, respect, or amorousness.
      2. To touch lightly or gently:
      3. To strike lightly; brush against:
      1. To feed on growing grasses and herbage.
      2. To eat a variety of appetizers as a full meal.
      3. To eat snacks throughout the day in place of full meals.
      1. A light quick blow, jerk, or touch:
      2. The sound accompanying this motion.
      3. A light splash, dash, or daub.
      1. An implement typically consisting of bristles fastened into a handle, used in scrubbing, polishing, grooming, or applying a liquid.
      2. The act of using this implement.
      3. A sweeping stroke of the hand, as in removing something.
    See also:

    touch

  3. To pass quickly and lightly through the air

      1. To hit, wound, or kill with a missile fired from a weapon.
      2. To remove or destroy by firing or projecting a missile:
      3. To make (a hole, for example) by firing a weapon.
      1. A piece of fabric sewn together and fitted to the spars and rigging of a vessel so as to convert the force of the wind into forward motion of the vessel.
      2. The sails of a ship or boat.
      3. A narrow fairwater supporting the bridge of a submarine.
      1. To move through the air by means of wings or winglike parts.
      2. To travel by air:
      3. To operate an aircraft or spacecraft.
      1. To remain suspended within or on the surface of a fluid without sinking.
      2. To be suspended in or move through space as if supported by a liquid.
      3. To move from place to place, especially at random.
      1. A slender, pointed missile, often having tail fins, thrown by hand, shot from a blowgun, or expelled by an exploding bomb.
      2. A game in which such missiles are thrown at a target.
      3. An object likened to such a missile.
    See also:

    move

  4. To look through reading matter casually

    See also:

    words

    investigate

Noun

  1. Light and momentary contact with another person or thing

      1. To feed on growing grasses and herbage.
      2. To eat a variety of appetizers as a full meal.
      3. To eat snacks throughout the day in place of full meals.
      1. A light quick blow, jerk, or touch:
      2. The sound accompanying this motion.
      3. A light splash, dash, or daub.
      1. An implement typically consisting of bristles fastened into a handle, used in scrubbing, polishing, grooming, or applying a liquid.
      2. The act of using this implement.
      3. A sweeping stroke of the hand, as in removing something.
    See also:

    touch

© Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Another word for skim

Verb

  1. To pass lightly and swiftly

      1. A slender, pointed missile, often having tail fins, thrown by hand, shot from a blowgun, or expelled by an exploding bomb.
      2. A game in which such missiles are thrown at a target.
      3. An object likened to such a missile.
      1. A piece of fabric sewn together and fitted to the spars and rigging of a vessel so as to convert the force of the wind into forward motion of the vessel.
      2. The sails of a ship or boat.
      3. A narrow fairwater supporting the bridge of a submarine.
      1. To remain suspended within or on the surface of a fluid without sinking.
      2. To be suspended in or move through space as if supported by a liquid.
      3. To move from place to place, especially at random.
      1. To rise or fly into the air:
      2. To maintain altitude without moving the wings or using an engine; glide.
      3. To increase or improve suddenly above the normal or usual level:
    See also:

    fly

  2. To remove the top; especially, to remove cream

      1. To set, force, or keep apart:
      2. To put space between; space apart or scatter:
      3. To form a border or barrier between (two areas or groups):
      1. A long-handled spoon with a deep bowl for serving liquids.
      2. To lift out or serve with a long-handled spoon.
      1. A shovellike utensil, usually having a deep curved dish and a short handle:
      2. A thick-handled cuplike utensil for dispensing balls of ice cream or other semisoft food, often having a sweeping band in the cup that is levered by the thumb to free the contents.
      3. A ladle; a dipper.
      1. An implement typically consisting of bristles fastened into a handle, used in scrubbing, polishing, grooming, or applying a liquid.
      2. The act of using this implement.
      3. A sweeping stroke of the hand, as in removing something.
    See also:

    remove

    dip

  3. To read swiftly

    See also:

    read

    examine

    browse

© WEBSTER’S NEW WORLD® ROGET’S A-Z THESAURUS by Charlton Laird and the editors of Webster’s New World dictionaries. Copyright © 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Sentence Examples

  • I picked up a stone and attempted to skim it across the water.

  • She didn't move away or object when he allowed his palms to skim her curves, tracing down her sides to her hips then around to her tight bottom.

  • When a sufficient number are not available for a two hours' defecation, it is the practice in some factories to skim off the scums that rise to the top, and then boil up the juice for a few minutes and skim again, and, after repeating the operation once or twice, to run off the juice to separators or subsiders of any of the kinds previously described.

  • Ducks and geese frequent it in the spring and fall, the white-bellied swallows (Hirundo bicolor) skim over it, and the peetweets (Totanus macularius) "teeter" along its stony shores all summer.

  • In lieu of anything clingy, fitted or tight, focus on flowing dresses and tops that skim the waist without cinching inward; flared skirts and dresses; low necklines; and straight pants that flow softly to the ankles.

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Words that mention skim in the Dictionary

Words near skim in the Thesaurus