Skimming

/ˈskɪmɪŋ/

Meaning & Definition

noun

The act of reading quickly to capture the main ideas.

Her skimming of the chapter helped her prepare for the presentation.

A technique used to skim a surface or remove materials.

The skimming of the pond was necessary to keep it clean.

verb

To read or glance through quickly, often to get a general idea rather than to understand in detail.

She was skimming through the articles to find relevant information for her research paper.

To move or glide lightly over a surface, such as water.

The stone skipped across the lake, skimming the surface with each bounce.

To remove a substance from the surface of a liquid.

He was skimming the foam off the hot soup before serving.

From the Old Norse word 'skima', meaning to glance or skim.

skimming the surface

To deal only with superficial aspects of a subject.

skimmed

The past tense of skimming, meaning to have read quickly.

skim

A verb form meaning to read quickly or remove a layer.

To take money from someone in a sneaky way.

He's skimming money from the register.

To quickly look over something without paying full attention.

I just skimmed the text; I didn't read it in detail.