skim

/skɪm/
noun
  1. The act of removing something from the surface of a liquid.
    • The skim of cream from the milk is used to make butter.
    • A quick skim of the pool removed the leaves.
    • After a skim of the soup, it looked clear and clean.
  2. A thin layer that forms on the surface of a liquid.
    • A skim of oil floated on the water.
    • The milk had a skim of cream on top.
    • There was a skim of ice on the pond this morning.
  3. A quick reading or look at something.
    • She did a skim of the instructions to find the key steps.
    • A skim of the menu helped me decide what to order.
    • I gave the article a quick skim before the meeting.
verb
  1. To remove something that floats on the surface of a liquid.
    • She used a spoon to skim the foam off the soup.
    • The worker skimmed the oil from the surface of the water.
    • You should skim the fat from the broth before serving.
  2. To read or look at something quickly without paying attention to every detail.
    • He skimmed the report to find the main points.
    • Students often skim the chapter before the exam.
    • I only had time to skim the newspaper this morning.
  3. To move lightly and quickly over a surface, usually without touching it deeply.
    • The drone skimmed just above the treetops.
    • A stone skimmed across the water and sank.
    • The bird skimmed the surface of the lake.
  4. To steal money illegally by taking small amounts from a transaction or account.
    • The accountant was caught skimming money from the company.
    • Thieves used a device to skim credit card numbers at the ATM.
    • The manager skimmed a little off the top of each sale.
Antonyms
adjective
  1. Having had the cream removed; low in fat.
    • The recipe calls for skim milk, not whole milk.
    • I prefer skim milk in my coffee.
    • She bought skim yogurt to reduce calories.