What does skimmed mean?
“Skimmed” is the past tense and past participle of “skim,” a verb with several related meanings. Most commonly, it describes reading or examining material quickly in search of its main ideas, as in “she skimmed the newspaper before work.” This usage can suggest speed and efficiency, but it may also imply that the material has been treated only superficially. “Skimmed” can also describe moving over the surface of water or another liquid, or removing a floating layer from it. The phrase “skimmed milk” is especially familiar: it denotes milk from which most or all of the cream has been removed. In these senses, “skimming” concerns the uppermost layer of a liquid. Although the verb has developed specialized practical meanings, its central idea is a light, rapid movement over a surface, whether that surface is a page, a report, or a drink.
verb (past tense and past participle)To read something quickly in order to grasp its main points, moving the eyes over its key phrases rather than studying every detail. It can also mean to move over the surface of a liquid or to remove a thin floating layer from it.
- To read or examine something quickly, focusing only on its main points.
- To move over or along the surface of something, especially a liquid.
- To remove a thin layer of floating material, such as fat or scum, from a liquid.
"She skimmed the report before the meeting and identified the three issues that required immediate attention."
"He skimmed the first chapter of the novel and decided whether it was worth continuing."
"The technician skimmed the coolant to check for oil before testing the machine."
To skim is to travel over words quickly, while to skim milk is to remove its top layer—one word, two very different kinds of surface.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skimmed come from?
The verb comes from Middle English “skim,” which developed from Old Norse “skíma,” a term associated with moving over water or another liquid. In Middle English, it came to mean moving lightly over the surface and eventually reading quickly rather than in full. Its modern culinary sense developed from the idea of removing material floating on top of a liquid.
Related word forms
How skimmed is actually used
In its reading sense, “skimmed” often implies that something has been covered quickly and perhaps only superficially. In the culinary sense, “skimmed milk” means milk from which most or all of the cream has been removed.
Easily confused with skimmed
“Skim” is the base form of the verb, while “skimmed” is its past tense and past participle, as in “she skimmed the page.”
“Skimmed milk” is milk from which a layer of fat has been removed, whereas “skimmed” used on its own can describe the act of reading quickly or moving across a surface.